Like Mother, Like Daughter
by See Jane Write
Summary: After Olivia is raped, she ends up pregnant just like her mother. EO. Chapter twentyseven, the final one, updated. Finished.
1. Chapter 1

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Summary: Olivia is raped, and it leaves her pregnant. Olivia/Elliot.

Disclaimer: As if it needed to be made clear, I do not own Olivia, Elliot, or any of the other _SVU_ characters.

Author's Note: Yes, I know many Olivia gets raped too much in fan fic, but I couldn't help it. My first SVU fic, so bear with me and let me know if I should continue.

Detective Olivia Benson was almost home. Her building was within plain sight, and she knew it. She only had to round the corner, and then she would be there. She knew it was not far, but she could not bring herself to get up off the ground. She was lying there paralyzed in fear. She was out of sight, and no one had walked by and noticed her.

She wanted to stand up and go inside. It was warm in there. More importantly, it was safe in there. She could not though. It hurt too much to move. She could not even move her arm down to grab her cell phone if she even still had it. She had been unconscious for a certain period of time. She did not know how long exactly she had been like this, but it was long enough.

Warm tears began rolling down her cheeks. She tried not to let them do that to her, but the pain was too much. Both the physical pain in her arms and legs, and the emotional pain the whole experience had just caused her. She had been raped for God's sake. She was now one of those victims who she was supposed to protect and help, but here she was lying defenseless on the street near her building.

She could not even remember how it had happened. It had seemed so normal at first. She was just walking home after work. She was closer to her building, but he must have pulled her away. He must have taken her somewhere where they would not be seen. A car, perhaps. When he was finished with her, he must have just dropped her off back in an alley near where he had found her.

She picked her head up slightly and tried to look for someone-anyone-who could help her, or at the very least call for help. There was no one. How could there be no one? This was New York City. There was always someone around. What time was it? She could not be certain. She had no way of being certain.

She tried wiggling her way closer towards the main sidewalk, but not only did it do little for her, but it was also very painful. She let out one short but loud scream and collapsed back against the hard cement of the ground. Within seconds, she was unconscious again.

* * *

Elliot Stabler gasped in sudden realization as he finished brushing his teeth. He had a theory on the case he and Olivia were working on, and he knew he could not let it wait until morning. Olivia was probably still awake, he figured. It was not too late at night.

He rushed over to his phone and dialed his partner's number. He knew it by heart of course, but he could not let Olivia know that. While he cared about her deeply and thought that she felt the same way, it could be just his imagination playing tricks on him. He wanted her to love him so badly, that he would be tricked into believing she did.

The phone on her side of the line rang a second time and then a third. "Come on, Liv," Elliot whispered. "I know you're there."

After the fourth ring, it went to her voice mail. He wanted desperately to leave her the message, but he stopped and hung up. He had to try calling again. She could be in the shower or something, he thought. He redialed the number and waited for Olivia's enchanting voice to pick it up. Sadly, it was not happening, and Elliot began worrying.

Olivia had left the office at the same time he did. It did not take her too terribly long to get home. She should definitely be home by now. As far as he knew, she did not have any plans. What kind of plans would she even have at this hour anyway? It was a weekday, so he doubted she would be seeing a late night movie or show. He had been with her all day, and she had not mentioned anything about plans.

He hung up and redialed again, but there was still no answer. Elliot was officially worried now. Olivia should be answering. If not, something bad must have happened. He had no know what. It was going to make him crazy. He cared about her too much to ignore it. It might turn out to be nothing, but in his line of work, he could never be certain. He had to get to her place.

* * *

It only took about ten minutes for Elliot to get over to Olivia's building. He rushed up the steps and immediately noticed something on the second step from the bottom. It was small. Elliot bent down closer and realized it was a cell phone. Not just any cell phone. Olivia's cell phone. As he picked it up, Elliot immediately felt sick. He tried buzzing her apartment, but there was no answer. The sick feeling increased as he walked down the stairs.

"Olivia!" he yelled. He did not care if he woke up the entire neighborhood. He was worried to death about Olivia, and he was not about to stop until he found her. "Olivia Benson!" he called in a louder voice. "Olivia, please!"

A small rat emerged from the alley where the rapist had left Olivia. It let out a small squeak, which caused Elliot to pick up his head. His face immediately paled. "Oh, god, no," he whispered as he rushed into the alley. "No," he said as he knelt down next to Olivia's body.

He noticed her slightly swollen right wrist and decided not to move her. Instead he placed two of his fingers on her neck carefully to check for a pulse. Luckily, she had one. He then quickly grabbed her cell phone and dialed 911. "Hang in there, Liv," he whispered as he gently stroked his fingers down Olivia's back. "I'm getting you help. Just hang in there. Be strong for me."

At that moment the operator's voice came on the line. Elliot started telling the operator where he was and a rough estimate to the extent of Olivia's injuries.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Six Weeks Later

Olivia was returning to work finally. It had been about a month and a half since the rape. With the exception of her broken right wrist, her physical injuries had healed. As for its mental impact, she had been haunted with images of it in her head, but for the most part they had been fewer and further apart. DNA samples from the rape kit had found her mystery rapist, and ADA Casey Novak had prosecuted him, and the jury convicted him a few days ago. He would be spending the next forty-five years in jail thanks to them. That fact was one thing helping Olivia sleep easier at night.

Whatever stomach bug she had was not though. It had woken her up in the morning around five, and she had not been able to get back to sleep since. She no longer felt sick though, so she figured it must have just been something she ate the previous night. She sighed and entered the special victims unit part of the station.

"Hey stranger," Elliot greeted her as he walked over from his desk. He smiled at her before deciding to hug her. To his luck, she reciprocated with a small smile on her face.

"Elliot, there's something I've been meaning to say to you," Olivia began. "About this whole thing…"

"Hey, don't mention it," Elliot interrupted. "Seeing you like that was scary as hell, and it's not something I would like to remember."

"Nor I, but what you did really meant a lot to me, and thank you," Olivia finished sincerely. She hugged Elliot again before sitting down at her desk. She still felt a little dizzy, but she figured it was nothing. She certainly was not going to spend her first day back on the job at home.

Elliot pulled his chair up next to her desk. "So, are you ready to jump back into the water of work?" he asked in a slightly challenging tone.

Olivia raised a slight eyebrow at him. "Elliot, you know me," she commented. "What do you think?"

"Of course," Elliot said. "Foolish me. I'll just bring you up to speed." He smiled at her and grabbed one of the desk calendars from his desk. "Ok, last week a man was found unconscious in a car. There were signs that he had been raped, but he does not remember…" Elliot's voice trailed off as he looked at Olivia.

Olivia was holding the calendar in one hand and staring at it. Her mouth was slightly open in shock. It was almost as if she could not believe the words she was hearing. Elliot wondered if she was even listening to him anymore.

"Liv, you sure you're up for this?" he asked with concern as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

He had no answer. Olivia was just staring at the calendar in disbelief and horror. "Are you sure this is the right calendar?" she asked softly.

Elliot nodded. "Yes. You've been out for some time, but if you need more, I completely understand. I can manage without you," he said sympathetically.

"That's not it," Olivia whispered. "I've taken enough time off. I'm certain."

"Then what is it?" Elliot asked in the same caring voice. "You know you can tell me anything. I'll be here for you."

Olivia nodded and looked at the calendar again. Through her time off and the trial, she had not really been aware of what date it was. She did not even really know what day of the week it was. Now she was back to the real world, and it was frightening. She looked up into Elliot's wide and concerned eyes. "I'm late, Elliot," she admitted.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't think I put this in, but it's pretty obvious. I don't own any of the SVU characters. They're Dick Wolf's, and I'm just manipulating them for pleasure (both mine and yours, which I appreciate, so thank you. Keep it coming.)

The significance behind Olivia's statement went over Elliot's head the first time she said those three words. "Late?" he asked in confusion. "I don't get it. You're going somewhere?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, Elliot," she said with mild annoyance. "I'm _late_," she repeated as she looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Oh," Elliot said. "Oh," he exclaimed again in a louder tone. The meaning behind her words sunk in. He did not know what to say to her. From the way she had been acting previously, Elliot assumed that she was just finding out the information for herself. He had nothing to say that would make her feel better. He simply pulled Olivia in closer to him and hugged her. He did not want to let her go.

"Yea, oh," Olivia finally said as she pulled away from his embrace and sat back down.

"Are you sure?" Elliot asked as he repositioned himself so that he was sitting comfortably in his own chair. "I mean, there were times when Kathy would just be--"

"I'm positive," Olivia interrupted. "I'm not just talking a few days here. It's been weeks," she admitted. She sighed as she glanced back down at the calendar momentarily. "I guess it makes sense looking back on it. I have been feeling a little sick these past few days. I thought it was just something I ate, but now I know the real reason."

Detective John Munch walked into the SVU and immediately noticed Olivia's presence. "Olivia, nice to have you back," he commented with a small wave.

Olivia forced a weak smile back at him as she watched him retreat over to his desk. Her issue was a delicate matter. She had not intended for Elliot to find out at the same time as she did, but it had happened that way. In her opinion, no one else should know until she was certain of everything that was going on inside of her.

"You still up for working?" Elliot asked with genuine concern.

Olivia shook her head. "I-I don't think so. Not today at least. I need to think about what I'm going to do." Her voice softened to a whisper. "You know," she added. Another wave of panic overcame her. "Elliot, I'm scared," she whispered. She had to fight the urge to break down in tears in front of the other detectives. "What if I can't do this alone?"

"Shh," Elliot whispered as he pulled Olivia closer to him. Her head rested against his shoulder, and he began rubbing her back in a gentle, soothing manner. He could feel her tears rolling down onto his shirt. "Livvy, look at me," he commanded gently.

A low scowl emerged from his partner's mouth, but Olivia did obey. Her eyes were red as she was obviously trying to keep from crying. She tried to look back down at the ground, but Elliot extended his hand and picked her head right back up.

"Livvy, listen to me," he told her gently. "You are not alone in this. You will never be alone in this. You have me. I don't know what that means to you, but I will be there all the way for you. From the Lamaze classes to the baby shopping even to the delivery room if you should desire." He reached out and rubbed Olivia's eyes carefully. "You won't have to worry about being alone. I'm here for you, and I'm sure the entire SVU will support you."

"Support you in what?" Captain Cragen asked as he approached his two detectives from behind Elliot. "Pardon me for interrupting, but this seems important."

Olivia nodded at Elliot as a signal that she could handle it from there. "It is," she admitted. "But only Elliot knows, so I'd prefer to talk about it in your office."

Cragen eyed her suspiciously, but he motioned for her to follow him back towards his office. Once he was in his office, he sat down behind his desk. He motioned for Olivia to sit as well, but she declined. "What is it, Olivia?" he asked with concern. "Are you sure you can handle being back here?"

Olivia was silent for a moment. She had to choose her words carefully. "If you're talking about me being able to emotionally deal with the subject matter again, then yes," she finally spoke. "But if you're talking about me physically being able to sit here in the office and do it, then no," she added.

"I'm not following you," Cragen told her.

Olivia sighed again as she decided it was best if she did sit down. "I haven't been to the doctor's for confirmation or anything, but I have reason to believe that I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Cragen questioned curiously. "But they gave you birth control at the hospital."

"Obviously not enough," Olivia responded bitterly. "I'm sorry," she immediately added.

"No need for apologies," Cragen assured her. "This is a delicate situation. Take the rest of the week off. Go to your doctor, and wait for the results. Take it from there."

Olivia nodded as she stood up. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Of course," Cragen responded as he saw Olivia open the door. "And Olivia," he called. The detective turned back around to face him with a slightly curious expression on her face. "If you are, then Elliot's right. The entire SVU's got your back."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Olivia was beyond nervous as she sat at home. As soon as she left the SVU that morning, she went over to her doctor's to see if she was really pregnant. She had a strong feeling that she was. She was beyond late, and she had not been feeling at her best lately.

On the other hand, if she was not pregnant, she did not even want to know what was wrong.

_No_, she scolded herself. _There is only one explanation._

The anticipation was killing her. The results from her blood test should be back by this point. Her doctor promised she would call as soon as she knew. Olivia kept staring intently at her phone. It had not rung all afternoon. It was now well into the night. The phone still had not rung.

Olivia frowned slightly as she picked it up. There was a dial tone. Her phone was not off the hook. Why hadn't he called her back yet? What was so important with his other patients that could not wait until morning?

She frowned. She did not want to go there either. All she could do was sit and stare at her phone. She picked it up carefully and examined it. The ringer was on as loud as it could possibly be. There was no way she could have missed the call. Even if perchance she had, she would have seen that there was a message waiting for her, and she had not seen that.

"What is with all of this?" she asked in annoyance.

The phone rang. It was a shrill, loud ringing sound, and it scared Olivia half to death. She jumped up quickly before regaining her composure enough to answer it. "Benson."

"Are you ok?" The voice did not belong to her doctor. It was feminine and familiar, but it was not her doctor. It was Casey, and while she would normally enjoy talking to the other woman, this was different.

_Wait a minute, _she thought. _Casey's calling here, and she's and asking how I am. _"What do you know?" she asked suspiciously. "Did Elliot say anything to you?"

"No," Casey began in confusion. "I didn't see him at all today. I just talked to Munch about a different case, and he mentioned that you came in for like ten minutes, but then you left again. I'm just concerned, Olivia. Are you ok?"

Olivia sighed heavily as she slumped back in a chair at her kitchen table. "No," she grumbled. She did not know what else to say. She wanted to have official confirmation before discussing it with anyone else, but she had to talk to someone about it or she would go insane.

"Is this about the rape?" Casey asked softly. Although her voice was soft, the concern was unmistakable. "You know he's behind bars now."

"I know," Olivia said quickly. "I know," she added in a quieter tone. "He is, but his damage isn't."

Casey frowned slightly. "What do you mean?" she asked inquisitively.

"Before I tell you, I want you to promise that you won't tell anyone else. I mean, right now the only other people who know are Elliot and Cragen."

"Know what?" Casey asked.

Olivia did not hear the ADA's question. "And I'm not even sure if there's something even there. I mean, I'm pretty sure, but I don't have the official results yet."

"Results to what?" Casey interrupted again.

"Promise to keep it secret at least for now?" Olivia asked. She had heard Casey's question, but she would not answer it until she got the answer to her own question. When she decided that the rest of the SVU should know, she wanted to be the person to tell them.

"Keep what a secret?" Casey almost yelled in annoyance. "Olivia, whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm a big girl now. If it means this much to you, I won't tell anyone, but I can't promise to do that if I don't know what it is."

Olivia nodded as she shifted her position slightly. Casey had a point, and Olivia had to tell her now. "I think I'm pregnant, Case," she said. Strangely, that confession was getting a tad bit easier to admit with each person she had to tell.

There was silence on the other line for a moment. It was eerie, but Olivia was used to the silence. She had been listening to it for the past countless hours just waiting for her phone to ring.

"Oh," Casey finally said. "I had no idea."

"Me either," Olivia admitted. "I mean, during the aftermath and trial, I had forgotten about regular life things. It wasn't until I returned to work and saw Elliot's calendar that I even realized I was late. Then it all began making sense."

"How do you feel?"

"Mainly nervous," Olivia admitted. "Beyond nervous, actually. I mean, my doctor is supposed to call with the results, and she hasn't yet."

"Oh," Casey said again. "Well, if you want me to go, so you can wait …"

"That'd be nice," Olivia said. "Not that I don't enjoy talking to you, but…"

"I know," Casey interrupted. "And if you need anything, you know my number. I'm here for you."

"Everyone's been saying that," Olivia pointed out.

"Well, we all care about you," Casey said. "Goodnight, Olivia."

"'Night," Olivia responded as she hung up the phone. She immediately picked it up again to see if she had a message waiting. She did not. It was back to waiting. She kept staring intently at the phone, wishing it would ring. It had to ring soon. She needed those results.

She also needed to eat. She grumbled as she walked over to the refrigerator. It had not been that long ago since she ate dinner, but here she was again looking through the fridge for food. She grabbed a package of baby carrots then closed the fridge. She quickly grabbed some peanut butter and rushed back over to her kitchen table.

Her mouth was full of carrots and peanut butter when the phone finally did ring. She rolled her eyes as she tried to swallow it all down, but it would take a bit more chewing first. The phone would not ring that many times. She quickly grabbed it. "Benson," she said through her muffled mouthful of food. She doubted her name was actually understandable.

"Olivia?" her doctor questioned.

Olivia swallowed again. "Yes, Dr. Thompson, I'm sorry. I had food in my mouth. Are the results in?" she asked.

"Yes, they are, and I have some good news," her doctor began.

Olivia groaned slightly. "If you're going to tell me that you just saved a bunch of money on your car insurance, I'm not in the mood."

"Funny, but no," her doctor commented. "As I said, your results are in. Congratulations, Olivia. You're going to be a mother. I can recommend some OB/GYNs for you unless you had someone in mind."

"Um, no," Olivia said in shock. She knew that she was pregnant. Deep down, she knew, but she still was not ready to accept it. Now she had stone cold proof, and it scared her. She was like her mother. She was supposed to inherit things like eye color and weird talents from her mother. The ability to get raped and impregnated was not something she would like to have. "But could you call back and leave those names on my machine?" Olivia asked.

"Of course," her doctor said. "Congratulations again."

"Yea, right," Olivia muttered after she hung up. She was still in shock. She glanced down at her stomach. There was a person growing inside of her. She was carrying a child. "Oh god," she said as she could feel the warm tears rushing to her eyes. She reached for the phone again and began dialing before her doctor called. That way she would not have to hear the ringing. It would go straight to voice mail.

Olivia quickly dialed Elliot's number. Her heart was pounding.

Elliot answered after the second ring. "Stabler."

"Elliot, it's positive," Olivia choked out.

Elliot gasped. He knew this was a possibility, but he had no idea what Olivia was going through. Whatever it was, he did not want her to be alone. "I'll be right over," he promised.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

As soon as Elliot hung up the phone, he was out the door. He did not care what was left in his house. His ID as well as a few dollars was already in his wallet, which was in the pocket of his pants along with his car keys. He did not even care if the door was locked behind him. As long as it was closed, he had no worries about the contents inside his apartment. His only worries were on the other side of the city.

Elliot shoved the key into the ignition and sped down the road. Let the police give him a ticket for all he cared. He did not care about things like that. His friend was in need, and he was determined to get to her as quickly as he possibly could.

"Hang in there, Liv," he whispered as he kept his eyes intently on the road. For this hour, it was remarkably calm. He made the drive quickly and parked. He did not care if he was illegally parked. No one would hit his car or try to tow it. He had not gotten a speeding ticket. The worst that could happen would be a parking ticket, which he could tolerate.

Elliot crawled across the passenger seat and made his way out onto the sidewalk. As soon as he was out of the car, he slammed the door shut and locked it. He then rushed into Olivia's building and over to the elevators. One of the people in the lobby eyed him cautiously, but this person said nothing.

The elevator was not arriving. Elliot looked at it for a moment and muttered something incoherently before eventually deciding to take the stairs. In the long run, it would be quicker. His shoes hit the cement stairs with a thud as he ran up them, but he kept going. He made it up to Olivia's floor without stopping to catch his breath. It was strange how much a person could do when driven by someone they loved.

Once on her floor, he briskly walked down to her apartment. He knocked lightly twice. "Livvy, it's me," he called.

"It's open," Olivia responded. Her voice was muffled, but Elliot could still detect it. Wherever she was in the apartment, she was close.

He twisted the door open slowly and walked inside. Olivia was curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Its sides draped down her arms, and her socks were poking out from underneath it. The television was on though Elliot highly doubted she was actually watching it.

Elliot quickly closed the door and walked over to her. He wrapped his arm around her gently and allowed her to rest her head up against his chest. When she did, he could tell that, though she was no longer crying, her eyes were still puffy and red.

Elliot rubbed her arms gently. "You know I'm here for you," he told her.

Olivia nodded. "I know," she responded softly. "And that's why this is a bit easier." She turned her head slightly and finally met her partner's eyes. "Elliot, I'm keeping the baby."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"You're sure?" Elliot asked her. "I'm willing to support you in anything you do, but are you sure?"

Olivia nodded. The smallest hints of a smile were present on her face for the first time since she had been confronted with the possibility that she was pregnant. "I'm positive, El," she said. "I'm keeping my child." There was no changing her mind. Her smile widened slightly.

Elliot smiled back at her. "Well then let me be the first to congratulate you," he told her as he pulled her closer towards him. He looked down at her. Her eyes were filled with determination. He could tell. She was serious about this. "You're going to be a great mom," he added.

"Well, I'm going to do my best to try," Olivia responded. She glanced over at the television and realized that she was paying no attention to it at all. She reached for the remote and turned it off before devoting her attention back to Elliot.

"No, I mean it," Elliot told her. "Parenting is hard, but I know you can do it. And you'll do a damn good job."

Olivia nodded again as she rested her head against Elliot's chest. "Well, you managed it, so it can't be that hard," she teased him.

"Watch it," Elliot warned. He could not stay mad with Olivia though. Although she seemed more comfortable with the situation, it still had to be difficult on her. Her whole life would be changing. Her body, her social life. Not that working with the SVU gives anyone a social life, but still. It was a huge life altering event, and he did not know how much of that Olivia had grasped yet.

"Do you have an OB/GYN yet?" he asked her as he switched the conversation back to serious. He began rubbing his hands along Olivia's arms to soothe her.

Olivia nodded. "Yes, and an appointment for tomorrow at 1:30, so I don't think I'll be in," she responded. "I think Cragen said I could have the week, but just to be safe, could you tell him? Discreetly."

"Of course," Elliot promised her. He kept rubbing her arms. He could feel her easing up. She was getting more relaxed with each passing minute. "Livvy?" he asked gently.

"Hmm?" she responded softly. Elliot doubted she could stay awake for much longer. It seemed fair. She had a long day.

"Do you want to go to sleep now?" Elliot asked in the same caring voice. "I can get you to your bed. It's probably more comfortable than the couch."

"Ok," Olivia whispered as she leaned forward a little to allow Elliot to get out from underneath her. She flopped back against the couch as soon as her partner was standing.

Elliot smiled down at her as he knelt down and picked her up in his arms. Her head once again rested on his shoulder as he carried her towards her bedroom. He carefully placed her down on her bed then arranged the blankets so that they would cover her. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Olivia," he whispered. He doubted she heard him.

He tiptoed out of her room. He did not know whether he should let himself out the door or stay inside in case she needed him. He did not want to seem like he was intruding, but if something pregnancy related came up in the middle of the night that she did not know, he did not want her to be alone. He could not bear the thought of her alone and scared again. He decided it would be best to just sleep on the couch. If she made it through to the morning, he would leave. He loved her too much to leave her alone right now.


	7. Chapter 7

To all those who review, thank you. You make my day. Smiles and gives you…I don't know…I guess I'll give you another chapter… To those who don't, well…

Chapter Seven

Olivia made it through the night. She was still not awake when Elliot's watch started beeping at six thirty in the morning, but she had not woken up at all that night. That at least was reassuring. Elliot quickly hushed his watch as he rolled off her couch. He did not want to risk waking her up by showering in her apartment. She still did not know he was there, so that had the potential to be frightening if she did wake up.

Instead, he tiptoed over to her bedroom and pushed the door open a crack. Olivia was sleeping peacefully. He did not dare disturb her. He walked back over to her kitchen and grabbed a piece of scratch paper to write her a note. He scribbled it to her and tried to decide on the place where he was sure she would find it. He was not sure if she would go into work, so leaving it with her badge was out of the question. She would definitely be hungry when she woke up, but he did not yet know if she had a particular craving for something. He did not even know of she knew.

He scanned her kitchen. Wherever she ate, she would have to go into the refrigerator to get something to drink, but there were some other things there. Perhaps the kitchen was not the best place. He should give her time to wake up before causing her to look for a note. He sighed as it finally dawned on him to leave it on the door. As he left her apartment, he left it between the door and the doorway.

His drive back to his apartment was not too long. It was too early to be the rush to work. He had time to take a quick shower, get something to eat, and get over to the SVU.

* * *

As soon as Elliot arrived at the SVU, he walked over to Cragen's office. Not many of the other detectives were there yet, which was definitely a good thing. Cragen was there though. Elliot knocked on the door to Cragen's office. The captain looked up at Elliot then gestured for him to come inside.

"Sit," Cragen said as he gestured at the chairs. He eyed Elliot suspiciously then nodded as he realized what this conversation had to be regarding. "This is about Olivia, isn't it?"

"What makes you think that?" Elliot asked as he sat down.

"You're here in my office early in the morning before any of the other detectives have arrived. There is nothing about your case that would need discussing right now until you talked with Munch and Fin," Cragen noted. "Plus, we're the only two people who know about her…condition."

Elliot nodded to each of Cragen's points. "True," he stated.

"Well?" Cragen asked. "How is she?" His concern was close to the level of Elliot's. "Should we be doing anything to subtly increase her pay?"

"We should be doing that to every detective here for the long hours and intensity of the cases," Elliot pointed out. He sighed and got back to being serious. "Yes," he stated. "It would really help."

"She knows for sure?" Cragen asked.

Elliot nodded. "All to well," he stated. "She has an appointment this afternoon, so she won't be in today. I told her I'd be there for her, so I might take an extra long lunch break."

Cragen nodded. "Right," he said as he saw Elliot stand up. "Take care of her."

"Of course," Elliot said as he started walking out the door. By this point, Munch had arrived, and he was sitting by his desk. Elliot exited Cragen's office and closed the door behind him. He proceeded to walk to his own desk. Once he was there, he did a quick search for the location of Olivia's OB/GYN. He gasped as he saw Munch coming over and he quickly minimized the window.

"So I did some snooping last night," Munch began. "And as it turns out, Patrick Lotz's alibi doesn't check out for the O'Donnel rape-homicide."

"But the DNA sample from the rape kit cleared him," Elliot stated as he turned away from Munch and looked back at his computer. "Look, I don't have time for this. Pester Novak."

"I wasn't finished," Munch argued as he spun Elliot's chair to face him again. "Turns out there was a witness who could place Lotz at the scene of the crime at roughly the time the M.E. gave for the time of death."

"Ok, get Novak to get a search warrant for Lotz's apartment and try to track him down," Elliot began.

"Hey," Casey argued as she approached from behind the two detectives. "I thought DNA cleared him. If I'm going to be doing paperwork, I'm going to need a good reason."

Elliot shifted his glance from the ADA over to the other detective in a clear signal that he would not be answering the question.

"His alibi didn't check out, and there's a witness who could place him at the scene of the crime," Munch stated plainly. "Good enough for you, Miss Casey?"

Casey rolled her eyes at him but did not press the issue. "I'll have it by eleven," she promised. She then turned and focused on Elliot. "I need to talk to you," she stated seriously.

Elliot glanced up at her. His face was turned away from Munch, so he mouthed up at Casey, "You know?"

Casey nodded slightly and repeated her initial statement. "Elliot, I need to talk to you. Now and in private." She folded her thin arms across her chest and glared at Munch.

Elliot turned and rolled his eyes at the other detective. He stood up and pulled Casey away from his desk towards the interrogation rooms. There were no witnesses yet, so the two of them would be alone.

Munch watched the two of them suspiciously. Something was definitely weird. He knew that much. He glanced over at Elliot's computer to see if that would give him any clue as to what was going on. There was something minimized, so he maximized it. He gasped as he looked back over at Casey and Elliot. On Elliot's computer was a list of local OB/GYNs. That was definitely not something related to any case they were on.

* * *

"You know?" Elliot asked as he pulled Casey into the first open interrogation room. He closed the door quickly behind him. "Wait," he said. "What do you know?"

"Probably not as much as you, which is why I'd like to talk to you," Casey answered. "I'm just concerned about her, Elliot. Olivia's one of the best girl friends I've had in a while, and I care about her. I haven't talked to her since last night, and when I did she mentioned that she thought she might be pregnant. I tried calling earlier, but she didn't answer."

"Ok," Elliot said. Casey already knew some things about what was going on, so Olivia must have felt comfortable with the ADA knowing the rest. "I'll tell you, but only to keep you out of suspense," he began. "When she tells you, you have to act surprised."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Elliot, just tell me, ok? I won't mention your name if she finds out I knew before, ok? I could have asked Cragen."

"She is," Elliot confirmed. "She's pregnant. She's keeping the child. I don't know if she's fully grasped the situation."

Casey nodded slowly. "Is there anything we can do for her?"

Elliot shrugged. "Be there, I guess. Cragen is working on getting her a subtle raise. She has an appointment this afternoon, and I'll be there for her."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: This would have been up earlier, but I've been sick and in the hospital and other crap. It's all good now, so here's the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviews. I appreciate it.

Chapter Eight

"Am I late?" Elliot asked as he walked into the waiting room for Olivia's OB/GYN. He had managed to make it out of the station without a fuss. Munch eyed him curiously, but due to Elliot's haste to leave the elder detective did not say anything. Now he was on the other side of New York City sitting down next to Olivia.

Olivia smiled up at the company. "No," she admitted with a slightly cross tone underneath her voice. "I've been sitting here for twenty minutes, but nothing's happened."

"Oh, just wait until you're in labor," Elliot teased playfully. His comment sent a slightly worried expression to Olivia's face, and he almost wished he had not said anything. Knowing that he could not undo the past, Elliot reached down and took Olivia's right hand gently. "Don't think about that yet," he told her. "You're fine now. And when you're not, I'll be there," he assured her. "I did the labor thing three times before. I know what to expect."

"No, you don't," Olivia argued back. "You're a man. You don't know what to expect. Kathy has done this three times. She knows what it feels like. You were just…there."

The fear was still obvious in her voice and on her face. Elliot really wished he had not made that comment. "And I'll be there for you," he promised. He brushed his fingers down her cheek gently. "But Liv, that's a long time from now. Don't think about it. Ok?"

"Fine," Olivia said. "I'll change the subject. How did things go at the office this morning?"

"Pretty well," Elliot noted. "I told Cragen like you asked. It's fine that you're here."

Olivia nodded slightly. "Good. That's…good." She was at a loss for what else to talk about. Things were never this weird between her and Elliot. Of course, this was not a normal situation, but there had to be something the two of them could discuss. "Um, does anyone else know?" she asked cautiously. On the other hand, she had to make sure everything about the baby was secure.

"I did tell Casey," Elliot admitted. "Only because she was worried about you," he assured her.

Olivia shrugged. "I had a feeling you did," she pointed out. "She called a little after you left the office, and she didn't exactly seemed shocked when I told her. She pretended to be, but I could tell she already knew."

"You're not mad, are you?" Elliot asked her.

Olivia shook her head. "No, she would have found out later today anyway. It's the rest of the detectives that I don't want knowing yet."

"It's not something you can keep secret forever. We are talking about a baby," Elliot reminded her.

"I know," Olivia said. "But for now?"

"Of course," Elliot promised her. He sighed as he heard his cell phone ringing. One of the more obviously pregnant women turned around and glared at him slightly. Elliot felt his face getting warmer as he stepped outside the office. "Stabler."

"Elliot," Casey hissed from the other end of the line. "What did you tell Munch?"

"About what?" Elliot asked in confusion.

"Olivia, the baby, anything along those lines," Casey said in a soft but angered tone of voice.

"Nothing," Elliot said. "Only Cragen and us know."

Casey groaned. "You didn't mention where you'll be right now?"

"No," Elliot declared firmly. "I respect Olivia's privacy. When she's ready to tell everyone else, she can do so herself." He frowned slightly. "What's this about?" he asked as he peered through the glass doors leading back to the waiting room. Olivia was still sitting in there. She had a confused look as she watched Elliot, but she did not bother to come outside.

"Nothing at all?" Casey asked. "Are you positive? You didn't say anything? Write anything? Maybe scribble the address down and left it where he could have seen it?"

"No," Elliot repeated. "What's gotten into you? What's going on down there?"

"You must have left some sort of clue to where you are right now," Casey responded as she looked around her. She was standing in the hallway outside the interrogation rooms. She was alone, and as far as she could tell Munch was out of sight. "I came back to give Munch the search warrant, and he started acting funny around me."

"Funny ha-ha or funny strange?" Elliot asked.

"Funny as in he just gave me a check for three hundred dollars and apologized for his behavior this morning. He then went on to assure me that he would take care of me if you don't take responsibility for your actions."

"My actions?" Elliot asked dubiously. "What did I do?"

"Well according to Munch you got me pregnant," Casey hissed again. "Now what did you do?"

Elliot gasped and brought a hand up to his mouth. "Shit, this was my fault."

"That's why I called you," Casey pointed out.

"Well the way you came in and demanded to talk to me in private sure as hell didn't help the matter," Elliot argued. "I barely did anything."

"But you did do something?" Casey questioned immediately.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Yes, counselor," he responded. "I didn't intend for him to see it, and if you hadn't come in there with your statements about talking to me than he probably wouldn't have bothered to check it out."

"What's it?" Casey asked. "And you're speculating. He could have seen it anyway."

"The list of the local OB/GYNs," Elliot finished. "I was looking for the address for this one so I could be with Olivia." He glanced back into the waiting room for a second. "Olivia whom I left in the waiting room where she is giving me many confused looks."

"Well, what should we do about this?" Casey asked him. "I can't go around pretending to be pregnant. If this gets back to Branch…"

"It won't," Elliot assured her. "Just fake it for a little bit. Avoid Munch as much as you can until Olivia tells everyone about the baby."

"Fine," Casey grumbled. "For Olivia's sake," she added. "You just get her to admit it sooner rather than later. It's going to be extremely awkward if I don't start gaining weight and she does."

"Bye, Casey," Elliot interrupted the ADA. He quickly hung up his phone and walked back into the waiting room over to Olivia. "Sorry about that," he apologized quickly.

"Who was it?" Olivia asked curiously.

"Just an old friend," Elliot lied. He could not trouble Olivia more with the possibility that Munch would realize what's going on pretty quickly. "I haven't seen him in a while, so there were some catching up moments that had to be taken care of."

"I just figured it was someone from the office about some case," Olivia noted. "Hence the outside."

Elliot's face reddened slightly. "That would have made more sense," he said softly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he assured her. "Just talking to myself."

Olivia eyed him curiously but she did not say anything further. "Did it always take this long when Kathy had appointments?" she asked a moment later.

Elliot shrugged. "I don't really remember," he admitted. "Probably." He sighed and placed his hand on top of Olivia's. "Just hang in there. Think about, oh, I don't know…how to tell Munch and Fin about all this?" he suggested meekly.

"Or…" Olivia said in attempt to change the subject.

"Or Warner?" Elliot asked. "We see her for nearly all our cases."

"Something that doesn't involve telling people about this child," Olivia finished.

"They'll support you," Elliot assured her. "I know they will, but they can't do that if they don't know."

Olivia eyed him again. "I know, but it's different with them. Our relationship is different than the relationship I have with Munch and Fin. You know that."

Elliot smiled at her. "I do," he stated. "And I'm grateful for that." He sighed and looked into Olivia's eyes. "I love you, Liv."

"I love you, too," Olivia responded calmly.

Elliot shook his head. "No, I really love you," he declared. "I mean powerfully and painfully, Olivia. I'm in love with you. I probably should have told you this a long time ago, but it's the truth. I love you."

Olivia was taken aback slightly. A smile quickly formed on her mouth. "Took you long enough," she told him as she leaned closer towards Elliot. Her lips brushed up against his for a brief moment. "I love you too," she repeated.

Elliot smiled again. "Well, if I'd have known, I would have told you a lot sooner."

One of the nurses walked into the waiting room. "Olivia Benson?" she called.

Elliot stood up and extended his hand down towards Olivia. "She's right here," he said as he pulled Olivia to her feet.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I do apologize for the delay. Hopefully it won't take as long to get the next chapter up. I appreciate all the feedback. You guys rock.

* * *

Chapter Nine

"And there's your baby," Olivia's OB/GYN, Dr. Carhart, stated as she pointed the small fetus out on the monitor. She smiled at Olivia and Elliot. The two of them were holding hands and staring at the monitor in awe. "You're going to make great parents."

"Oh, he's not--" Olivia began. She glanced over at Elliot. His face was lit with a joy she had never seen on him. "He's not able to see it," Olivia quickly covered. "Could you point it out again?"

She knew her doctor needed to know that the baby was not Elliot's. She needed to know all of the details. She would know them eventually. This was not the moment. As the doctor pointed to the screen again, Olivia felt overcome with happiness. Her maternal side was showing through.

She was really having a child. She could see it. It was very small, but it was hers. Hers and Elliot's. She knew that Elliot was not the biological father, but he would be there for the child. He would love him or her in more ways than imaginable. The actual biological father would be in Rikers until the child was married and having its own children.

"Woah," Olivia said. She was still in awe. Awe and now a little fear of the future. But that was the future. She looked back at the monitor. Her child was on it.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Elliot asked her. He was seated behind Olivia with his arms around her shoulders in a hug. He kissed the back of her head.

"It is," Olivia said truthfully. Everything about the situation was perfect. At least, it was as close to perfect as it could be considering who fathered the child. She was with Elliot. Elliot loved her. She was having a baby that would be more likely to call Elliot its father than any other man. What more could she possibly want?

* * *

Olivia returned to work the next day. She was there for real. She was in control of her emotions, or at least as in control as she could be while being pregnant. She was actually relieved to be back. It had been almost two months since she was actively on the job. She would only get another five or six months before she would be too pregnant to do anything. Of course, between then and now, she would have to tell the rest of the squad.

But that day was still not today. She was not ready for people like Munch and Fin to be in her personal business. She sighed heavily as she walked into the squad room.

"She lives," Munch announced from his desk as he noticed Olivia. He moved away from the desk and walked closer to Olivia's. Casey was right behind him. Officially she was there for business, but she did want to welcome Olivia to her first real day back.

Olivia smiled at Munch as she looked around the room for a second. Munch was leaning against Elliot's desk and looking over at her. Casey was making her way over next to Elliot's desk. Elliot was seated at his desk, but as soon as he saw Olivia he stood up. Munch started to head for the abandoned seat, but he stopped when he saw Casey. He quickly pulled the chair out for her and motioned for her to sit. Casey complied.

"It's nice to have you back," Cragen said from his office door. "When you have time, I would like to have a word with you. Whenever you can."

Olivia eyed him curiously as he walked back into his office. She shrugged it off as she walked over towards her desk. She was greeted with a hug from Elliot. "It's really nice to have you back," he said.

"Fin was worried you'd want out after all of this," Munch added. "The current theory is that you'd be working undercover in vice."

Elliot pulled back and studied Olivia's figure. She was still not showing any signs of pregnancy. She still had her perfect curves. Her thin body. He smiled. "There's a thought. What would that look like?" he mused.

"Well, I'd imagine she'd wear skimpy, slinky clothes," Munch offered.

"Hot slinky clothes," Elliot corrected. "Maybe something in red. Skirts that cover nothing." He smiled. "Hey, you can go do that. It works for me."

"Can we please stop talking about me leaving you?" Olivia asked.

"Amen," Casey quickly added.

"That will never happen," Olivia assured the three of them. She stopped. Technically, it was true. She'd take maternity leave, but she would come back. She did not know when, but she would. That was probably what Cragen had to talk to her about. "Now I'm here to do work, so can we get some work done? Convict a rapist? Doing what we do best?"

"Of course," Elliot told her as Olivia sat down at her desk. Elliot slowly began walking back to his. Munch was glaring at him as he helped Casey out of Elliot's chair. He rolled his eyes slightly once Munch was turned away. Finally, he sat down and gazed across the two desks at Olivia. She was hard at work. Her head was down, and her hair was tucked back behind her ear. This was the way it was supposed to be.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Several Weeks Later

Casey walked quickly into the squad room. Luckily for her, Olivia was already in there. Munch was not in her immediate line of vision. Just to be safe, she would be quiet. "Liv," she said as she knelt down in front of the detective's desk. "Do you have any Motrin, or Tylenol, or something? I'm having the worst cramps," she whispered.

Olivia nodded as she opened the top right drawer of her desk, producing a small bottle of Excedrin and handing it to Casey. "Will this do?"

"Thank you," Casey said in a very soft but very grateful tone. "Thank you."

"No problem," Olivia responded with a smile.

Casey smiled back as she stood up and started heading towards the women's bathroom. Munch was entering the squad room from the direction in which she was headed. Casey could feel her face getting red, but she tried to avoid eye contact with Munch. If at all possible, she wanted to ignore him and have him ignore her. She crossed her arms across her lower abdomen and tried to hide the small bottle from his sight.

"Casey," Munch stated as a form of greeting.

"Hi, Munch," Casey quickly responded as she tried to get past him. She had to think quickly. He was already giving her suspicious looks. "Love to stay and chat, but Elliot Jr. is about to make me sick."

Munch nodded and stepped out of the way. Casey rushed past him, but Munch seemed a bit unconvinced that morning sickness was the real reason for her haste. He walked over into the main part of the squad room and pulled his desk chair up to Olivia's desk. "I don't like prying into people's personal business, but I think we should talk," he said in a soft voice. It was not quite a whisper, but it was less than his normal speaking tone.

Olivia's eyes grew wide with fear. She glanced across at Elliot's desk, but he was not back from a stakeout with Fin. Apparently the two of them had started this case while Olivia was out. Whatever the reason, Elliot was not there to help her right now. "A-about what?" Olivia asked. She had to remain calm. Things were not necessarily as bad as she presumed them to be.

"Casey," Munch answered.

Olivia gave a mental sigh of relief. "What about Casey?"

"I don't know if she's still…well, frankly I'm not sure if she's still pregnant," Munch whispered. "Not that I'm looking, but she hasn't gained an ounce. She seems tense whenever she's around me."

Olivia's mouth was dropped wide open. "Casey's pregnant?" she asked.

"Oh," Munch began. "You didn't know that. God, I'm an ass. I just assumed that she or Elliot told you already."

"It's a valid assumption," Olivia said. "Wait, Elliot knows, too? Who else knows? Cragen? Fin?"

"I haven't told anyone except you," Munch answered. "I don't know who Casey or Elliot might have told. Presumably Cragen and Branch know about all of this, but I'm not going to be the one to confirm that. Especially now that it might be irrelevant."

Olivia nodded slightly. She still could not believe that Casey had not told her. "When did you find out?" she asked.

"Couple weeks ago," Munch answered. "The day after you first came back. You were gone, but Casey and Elliot were there. Elliot was acting like a jerk about the whole thing, too." His voice lowered. "And if you ask me, he still is. I would hate to be in Casey's position considering how Elliot's acting around--"

"Hey," Casey quickly interrupted from behind Munch. She had heard the beginning of Munch's little speech, and she knew that her Olivia's secret would be blown if she had not interrupted.

Olivia looked up at the young lawyer. "Casey, you're pregnant?" she asked in astonishment. If this was something that Casey wanted, then Olivia was more than happy for her.

Casey could feel her face getting warm. She had to make this conversation brief so she could pull Olivia away from Munch and explain the truth. "Yes," she said finally. "Yes, I'm pregnant." She smiled slightly. "I didn't tell you before because…" _Come on, bubblehead, think._ "Olivia, I wanted to tell you. Believe me, you were one of the first people who came to mind when I found out I was pregnant. I just didn't know how you would react, especially given your history with the father."

Casey knew what the next words out of Olivia's mouth would be. She had to get rid of Munch before Olivia asked it. "And I think this is a conversation that Olivia and I need to have in private," she added with a look at Munch.

Munch nodded as he rose from the chair. He allowed Casey to sit down. "Of course," he said. "Just remember that I'm here for you, kiddo," he added as he pat her back gently. He started to walk towards the exit door of the unit. "I'll be outside."

As soon as he was gone, Olivia spoke. Her tone was one of excitement. "Who is this guy? When's your due date? Mine's May twenty-second, but yours might be a little earlier judging by when Munch said he found out. Have you started shopping for maternity clothes?"

Casey's eyes were wide in amazement. She had not seen this side of Olivia before. "Liv, slow down," she commanded. "I'm not pregnant."

"What?" Olivia asked. "You just told me you were."

"I was also just in front of Munch who is under the assumption that I am," Casey explained.

"Why would Munch assume that you were pregnant?" Olivia asked. She looked at Casey closely. "If you gained any weight, it's not noticeable."

"Thank you," Casey began. "I think…Anyway, there is a reason. Do you remember back when you had your first OB/GYN appointment?" Olivia nodded. "Well, I know Elliot wanted to be there, but he couldn't remember the address or something. While he was looking it up, I had to talk to him about…well, about you. Elliot left the screen up, and Munch accidentally saw it. He came up with the Casey-is-pregnant-with-Elliot's-baby theory. Since Elliot and I wanted to keep your pregnancy secret, we went along with it until you were ready to tell everyone."

"Oh," Olivia said a minute after Casey had finished.

"No pressure, but it's been five weeks since Munch found out about my so-called 'pregnancy'. You're right. I haven't gained any weight. This can't go on much longer."

Olivia nodded. "I know," she admitted. "Once everyone's here, I'll tell them."

* * *

((I hope to have the next chapter up by next weekend. Until then, read, review, enjoy. You're the best.)) 


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Ha! I knew I could get it done before the weekend! You should all be very proud.

Disclaimer: In addition to all of the SVU characters, I do not own Alex Eames from Criminal Intent or any of the events surrounding her on-show pregnancy.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

After taking a twenty-minute walk, Munch walked back towards the SVU squad room. He peered carefully through the window before deciding whether or not it was safe to enter. Olivia was sitting at her desk alone. Casey was standing near Fin's desk as she put her coat on. Munch nodded. It was definitely safe for him to enter. Depending on how Olivia took the news, it might be necessary.

He opened the door slowly and stepped back to allow Casey to walk through it. "How'd she take it?" he asked curiously.

"Surprisingly well, all things considered," Casey answered honestly. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Wait a minute," Munch said in a genuinely concerned tone. He gently grabbed Casey by the arm and pulled her out of the squad room. "Casey, you can be straight with me," he whispered. "Are you still pregnant?"

Casey felt her cheeks getting warmer. She wondered whether or not they were completely red. She quickly regained her composure and answered the question. "Yes," she said. She looked up at Munch and saw him looking at her lower stomach area. "I've been working out a lot," she explained. "I hear it makes labor less painful." Her face turned to one of panic. "That is true, isn't it?" she asked fearfully as she looked up at Munch with wide, frightened brown eyes. "Isn't it?" she repeated as his silence.

Munch did not know what to say to her. He pulled her into a soothing hug and rubbed her back gently. "Case, I'm sure you're going to be fine. Shh. Shh. You're going to be fine."

Casey nodded as she pulled away from Munch. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Anytime," Munch promised. He turned back to the door leading into the SVU. "Next time you go to the gym, you might want to try and get Liv to go with you. Just between us, but someone's having a little trouble losing those holiday pounds. Too much turkey, never good."

Casey wanted desperately to roll her eyes at how oblivious Munch was to everything. Instead, she chuckled slightly. "Amen to the turkey," she said finally. "And if you'll excuse me, I have such a craving for a hot dog right now. With lots of relish and mustard, pickles, and, um, honey," she lied. _Was that too extreme,_ she immediately wondered.

Munch raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, suit yourself," he said. "I'll talk to you later." With that, he walked back into the squad room and left Casey to finally leave the station. Casey let out a huge sigh of relief as she exited.

* * *

Olivia stood outside the doors leading to the Major Case Squad room. Detective Alex Eames was the only detective who Olivia knew personally who had been pregnant on the job before. She walked cautiously into the room, avoiding the glances she presumed to be on her as she walked to the other detective's desk. Luckily for Olivia, Eames' partner Bobby Goren was no where in sight.

"Hey, Alex, can I talk to you for a second?" Olivia asked.

Alex gave Olivia a slightly confused glance, but she agreed. She motioned for Olivia to sit down. "Sure," she began. The confusion lingered in her voice. "Is there something I can do for you? Something about a case?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, this is more of a personal thing. My personal problems, but you might be able to help." She sighed and looked around again. While she felt okay with confiding in Alex, she did not want any other detectives knowing until she told the rest of the SVU. "I'm pregnant," she admitted. "And seeing as you were pregnant on the job a couple years ago, I thought maybe…"

Alex nodded. "You need help," she finished for Olivia. She immediately felt guilty. That was not in all how she wanted that statement to come out. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant you want to get advice, to hear the horror stories."

Olivia frowned. "Is it really that bad?"

Alex shrugged. "Not for the first five and a half to six and a half months," she noted. She then frowned. "But then, you're on _desk duty._" Her last statement was filled with disgust.

"Ew," Olivia agreed. She sighed and placed her hands across her lap. "Was it hard for you to tell everyone?"

Alex shook her head. "No. It was fine."

Olivia mentally slapped herself. "But our situations are completely different. Or, at least the circumstances leading up to them are."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not yet," Olivia said simply. "After I tell the SVU." She stood up and placed the chair on the side of Alex's desk. "Thanks, Alex."

Alex smiled back at her. "Anytime, Olivia."

* * *

Hours passed before everyone was back in the SVU squad room. Olivia was sitting in her desk chair. Casey was sitting in Elliot's. Elliot was standing over Fin's desk. The two of them were discussing their latest case. Munch was sitting at his desk reading a newspaper. Olivia looked around at everyone. It was time.

"Um, can I have everyone's attention?" she asked. Munch looked up from his paper. Fin and Elliot looked up from their case file. "Um, closer," Olivia added. Everyone obeyed.

"There's something I need to make clear," Olivia began. She drew in a deep breath. She had to phrase her words perfectly.

Elliot glanced over at her. With one look at her nervous appearance, he knew exactly what was going on. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "It's ok, Liv. You can do it."

Olivia nodded. "Ok. I can do this. I want to do this," she said softly. Those words were not heard by anyone else except for Elliot. "Ok, back on the first day when I 'returned', there was a reason why I barely stayed. No, it's not because of the subject matter of our work." She drew in another breath, and Elliot rubbed her shoulders soothingly. "It's because I saw Elliot's calendar."

Munch shrugged. "Yeah, the Celine Dion is a little disturbing," he agreed. "But is ditching work for the rest of the week really the best way to solve that problem?"

"Shut up, Munch," Casey and Elliot commanded simultaneously.

"He's right though," Olivia said as she looked up at Elliot. "We need to get you a man calendar."

Munch smiled at Olivia, but he did not say anything. Instead, he motioned for her to continue.

"Well, that was the day that I realized I was a little over four weeks late," Olivia admitted. "The only man I had been with was, well, you know. That realization freaked me out, and I left. My fears were confirmed that night." She drew in another breath. "I'm pregnant."

Olivia glanced back at Casey. "After seeing Elliot's computer or something like that, Munch somehow concocted the theory that Casey was pregnant. Because Casey knew that I wasn't ready to face the truth yet, she went along with it. But now I'm ready.

"The circumstances leading to the pregnancy weren't ideal, but I couldn't be happier now," she said as her hand joined with Elliot's.

Elliot smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Oh, come on," Fin said with disappointment. "It's only us. Give her a real kiss."

Elliot chuckled as he felt Olivia's arms going around his shoulders. He looked into her eyes and moved in closer. His lips met hers, and he kissed her. He didn't stop.

"Oh, get a room," Fin said.

Elliot and Olivia backed away from each other. The happiness on their faces was unmistakable.

"Well, congratulations," Fin said. "We're here for you," he assured Olivia.

"Definitely," Munch added. He frowned for a second and turned to Casey. "So you were never pregnant?" he asked.

Casey shook her head.

"You're a good actress, and a great liar," Munch began.

"Thank you," Casey said.

Munch walked back to his desk. "But you owe me three hundred bucks."


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: My extreme apologies for the delay. And, of course, names of victims are a product of my imagination, so if your name is coincidentally one of them, then I apologize.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Olivia shifted uncomfortably as she and Elliot began walking towards the morgue. The squad car was parked in their usual parking space. She and Elliot were back to working on cases together. It was just how she liked it. Things were perfect. A couple of days passed since she had told the SVU squad. This day was the first time since then that they had a homicide involved with one of their cases. It was the perfect opportunity to tell Warner. She frowned though as she tugged at her pants.

"You ok?" Elliot asked in a concerned tone. He wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. "Back pain?"

Olivia shook her head. "No pain," she admitted. "Just these damn maternity pants," she complained. "I'm too big for my fat pants, but too small for these. It sucks."

"I know, Liv," Elliot said simply. He opened the door for her and waited for her to go inside. He followed her down until the two of them met up with Warner. The three of them exchanged greetings, and then Warner led them down to the body.

"Vic's name is Anna George," Warner began as she removed the cloth covering the body.

Olivia's stomach lurched as she caught sight of the body. Multiple scars and stab wounds covered the torso and upper legs. Burn marks covered the victim's arms and lower legs. Her throat was slit as were her wrists. Olivia turned away and held her hands up to her mouth.

"Liv?" Elliot asked again with the same caring tone. "You ok? I can get this information on my own."

"She sick?" Warner asked Elliot in a softer tone. "Flu? I can recommend something for her to take."

Elliot shook his head. "Thank you, Melinda, but that's not necessary." He turned to Olivia. "Liv, do you want to tell her now?" he whispered into her ear. Olivia was still turned away from the body.

"Cover it," Olivia whispered. She reached her hands behind her and pointed at the body. Normally, it would not have this effect on her. She certainly has seen worse. But this day, it was just disgusting. She could not look at it without getting sick.

Elliot nodded at Warner as a signal for her to cover the body. Warner eyed the two detectives curiously, but she did cover the body.

"It's ok, Liv," Elliot whispered. "Body's covered. You can turn around."

Olivia nodded and turned around to face Warner. Elliot's arm was around her waist. It was time. She was not embarrassed. She was actually rather excited about the whole thing, despite how she physically felt at the moment. "I'm expecting," she told Warner. Her smile beamed the joy and excitement that she felt.

Warner was shocked at first, but she instantly smiled. "Congratulations," she said in awe. She looked over at Elliot. "I didn't even know you two were involved."

"Oh, it's not his," Olivia said. She smiled slightly and leaned back against Elliot. Elliot wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well, not biologically."

"Oh," Warner said in a more serious tone. "Oh," she said louder as she realized what had actually happened. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to assume…God, I feel so stupid."

"Well, don't," Olivia commanded. "The circumstances were far from ideal, but I'm in a good place right now." She lowered her hand and grasped Elliot's. "I have this guy and the support of all my friends. I do not love the event that conceived this child, but I will love it."

"Then congratulations," Warner repeated. "And if you want, you can borrow some of my old maternity clothes. Granted, they might be a little out of style, and they might smell like mothballs before you wash them, but they're still clothes."

"That'd be great," Olivia said. "Whatever you still have around."

Warner shrugged. "Well, it's not much, but I'll bring what I do have by the squad room sometime tomorrow," she promised.

"Thank you," Olivia stated gratefully. "On that note, I think I'll go to the bathroom. This baby thinks my bladder is a chew toy." She headed for the hallway. "Elliot, I'll be in the car. You can get the details then join me."

Elliot nodded at her. "Will do."

* * *

After lunch, Elliot and Olivia headed over to check out Anna George's apartment. Crime scene tape covered the hallway leading to her apartment as well as the apartment itself. The forensic techs were already waiting for them. Elliot flashed his badge and crossed the line. Olivia followed right behind him.

"What have we got?" Elliot asked as the two of them came face to face with a bloody bed. The sheets, pillows, and floor surrounding the bed were covered in blood.

"There's too much blood to belong to just one person," the forensic tech answered. "Sheets also have a bit of semen."

Elliot could not get his eyes off of that bed. Some of it was even smeared against the wall behind it. This was definitely personal, he realized.

Unfortunately, Olivia could not look at the scene and keep her lunch down. She knew the basic layout of the apartment and rushed over for the bathroom. She was only a few feet away from the toilet when she got sick.

That noise startled Elliot, and he rushed towards it. He knew it as Olivia. The forensic tech followed behind Elliot. As soon as Elliot saw Olivia, he sat down next to her.

"Liv, honey, are you sure you can handle this?" Elliot asked her. She was sitting up on the floor, trying to clean up the mess with toilet paper. Elliot removed the toilet paper from her hand and pulled her close to him.

"Do you need anything?" the forensic tech asked.

"Does someone have a water bottle?" Elliot asked him. The tech nodded and went off to retrieve one. Elliot turned back to Olivia. He rubbed her back. "Livvy, I know you hate desk duty, and I don't blame you, but do you really think this is the best way to work? We've only been on this case one day, and you've already got sick once and almost got sick earlier." He continued rubbing circles on her back. "I just don't want to see you like this."

"Elliot, I'm pregnant," Olivia whispered back. "Poorly named morning sickness comes with the territory. It's not necessarily the crime-related stuff making me sick."

"But it's not helping, either," Elliot responded. "Look, I know it's not my call, but at least think about it." The forensic tech returned with a small 12-ounce bottle of water. "Drink," Elliot said as he opened the bottle and brought it to Olivia's lips.

* * *

Their day was almost over. Elliot was grabbing his things from his desk. He had the keys in one hand. "I'll be in the car, Liv," he said.

Olivia smiled at him. She truly was lucky and grateful to have him in her life. She needed him. "I'll be there in a sec. Cragen wanted to see me."

Elliot nodded at her and left the squad room. Olivia watched him until he was out of sight. She then walked over to Cragen's office. She knocked twice and heard him call, "Come in". She did.

"Olivia, I am worried about you," Cragen started as soon as Olivia closed the door. "I know you're a wonderful detective. I honestly can say it's going to be hard on us when you're on maternity leave. But Olivia, I can't have you on the streets as much."

"Look, Cragen, I can assure you that what happened at the George apartment will not happen again," Olivia said. She could tell where this conversation was headed.

"But you can't," Cragen pointed out. "You cannot say with certainty that you will not get sick again tomorrow. It's just a part of being pregnant. I get that."

"Captain, I'm not going to let this baby stop me from doing my job right now," Olivia declared firmly.

"Olivia, I'm serious, too," Cragen said. "Either you're doing less street time or no street time at all. I'm not punishing you. I just want to keep you and your baby safe." He walked towards the door and opened it for her. "Are we clear?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes, captain," she stated. "We're clear."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Twenty-two weeks. Her fifth month. Olivia's pregnancy was almost half over. She could find out the sex of the baby. She did not know if she wanted to know yet, but the option was there by looking at the sonogram. She was showing more. All the people connected to the SVU cases were aware that she was pregnant, and if they were not, they could see it if they actually spent time with her. Olivia was getting used to everything. She knew when she had to leave to get sick or go to the bathroom. She could almost sense when those feelings were about to hit her.

The feeling waking up Olivia this night was different. New. It was a good new. She preferred this to the morning sickness, definitely. It was exciting. She could actually detect movement. Her child was alive. She had known that for a long time. She had felt the symptoms, experienced the weird cravings. The most outlandish one had to be bananas dipped in salsa. Her current craving was chocolate. More normal, though she wanted it almost all the time. This child definitely lived to make her fat.

But this was the first time in her pregnancy where she actually felt like she had a life growing inside of her. She had heard the heartbeat, but she could not hear it normally. She could feel this without any medical assistance. It was strong too.

She had to share it. She opened her bedroom door and began walking into the living room. Elliot has essentially been living on her couch ever since she found out she was pregnant. As far as she knew he still had his place in Queens, but it did not feel like it. He was on her couch every night. They were practically living together. Elliot even went grocery shopping for her.

She appreciated that. Elliot has been nothing but supportive to her. She loved him for it. She honestly did not know what she would do without him. She wanted him to feel connected with every aspect of the pregnancy. In her mind, she was carrying his child. "Elliot," she whispered as she hovered over the couch near his ear. "Elliot."

Elliot awoke almost instantly. He was a light sleeper, and he had become even more attuned to whenever Olivia was awake. "What is it?" he asked. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," she assured him as she sat down next to him. Elliot removed his legs to give her more room. "I just didn't want you to miss this." She smiled up at Elliot and took his hand. It was warm. She smiled again and placed it on her stomach.

Elliot's expression was a visual representation of what Olivia was feeling. "Oh," he exclaimed. "Restless little guy, huh?" He had felt this before, but this time it was different. It was Olivia's baby. It was new for her, which made it new for him. He felt like a new father-to-be all over again.

Olivia nodded. "Yea." She glanced over at the clock. It was almost time for the two of them to wake up anyway. "If we could only time it to kick every morning at this time."

Elliot chuckled. "Oh, Liv," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her. "My brave little Liv." He glanced down at her. "Well, not so little anymore," he said as he rubbed her stomach.

Olivia glared at him slightly, but then she smiled. Everything was good. Elliot kissed her forehead. "Are you working today?" he asked her. She had a new schedule worked out with Cragen. Of the five weekdays, she would have one completely off. Two she would be on the streets, but they would not be consecutive. The other two days, she would be on desk duty. The only confusing part was which day was which.

Olivia shrugged. "I'm not scheduled to, but I think I will anyway, even if it is desk duty," she answered. "I just don't think I can watch another one of those pregnancy and parenting movies. I just can't do it, Elliot." She shuddered slightly and leaned back against him. Her head was on his chest. Her hands and his hands were over her stomach. "The things those women do…I can't do that."

"Shh," Elliot whispered. "Don't think about that yet. You're going to do fine. There's this thing called drugs now. I'd highly recommend it."

"Thanks," Olivia said softly, "but that's not the part that really scares me." Her eyes closed slightly. She was not fully awake yet, but she would explain herself. "I'm just worried that I'm going to be exactly like my mother. Drunk, awful." She exhaled deeply. "I don't want to think this, and I don't think it now, but I'm just worried that I won't be able to love this child as much. I'm worried it'll just be like a permanent reminder of what he did to me. And before you say anything, I know that's how my mom saw me. She could never love me."

"Livvy, you're mother loved you," Elliot assured her. "And you will love this baby. I know it. You are nothing like your mother. You're not a drunk," he pointed out. "And you're in a healthy relationship. This baby is lucky to have you. I could not have picked a better mother." He moved his hands and began massaging her shoulders. "Liv, whose baby are you carrying?" he asked her simply.

"Ours," she responded automatically. The response actually did not surprise her. She turned slightly and smiled up at Elliot.

Elliot smiled back. "See there," he assured her. "You'll be great."

* * *

By the time Elliot and Olivia arrived at the squad room, every one else was already there. Munch and Fin were reviewing crime scene photos with Casey. Cragen was in his office talking on the phone with someone. Elliot smiled as he walked in. He moved Olivia's chair for her and waited for her to actually sit before he went over to his desk.

Elliot stopped and glanced over at Olivia again. She was not doing anything. She smiled at him, but he could tell she did not really want to be there. She belonged on the streets, but she could no longer do that as much. She could not stay home and watch movies. She had to get out of there. He glanced over at Munch and Fin. Luckily, they were closing the file and handing it to Casey. He beckoned them with a wave of his hand as to not catch Olivia's attention.

"What is it?" Fin asked.

"I need a favor," Elliot said. "Could you two just distract Liv somehow? Only for a moment. I need to talk to Casey, and I really don't want Liv overhearing or walking over."

Munch frowned. "Now did you knock her up?" he asked jokingly.

Elliot shook his head as he moved to catch Casey's attention. "Just do it," he begged.

Munch nodded as the two detectives went over to Fin's desk. "Hey, Liv," Munch called as he walked over to her. Fin opened one of the drawers on his desk.

"Yes?" Olivia asked curiously. "What's up?"

Fin walked over. Both of his hands were behind his back. He reminded Olivia of a small child with a present for his crush. "Well, Munch and I were interviewing this guy down in Soho yesterday."

"He happens to own a shop that boasts that they have the best chocolate within the five boroughs," Munch added.

Fin produced two large half-pound bars of milk chocolate. "So we were thinking, who better to attest to that statement?" The two of them smiled and handed the chocolate over to Olivia.

Olivia smiled back. "Oh, you guys," she began. "This is so nice. Thank you."

"Don't thank us. Thank false advertising," Munch stated. He saw Olivia eagerly open the first bar. She broke a piece off and popped it into her mouth. Her face melted into a smile. "Well, enjoy," he said. That was good. She would definitely not notice Elliot for the next couple of minutes.

Casey had finished pouring herself a cup of coffee. Luckily for her, Cragen had replaced the stock with a much better brand than the previous one. She was about to leave when she heard someone calling her name. Elliot, actually. "Hmm?" she asked as she turned around to face him.

"Are you appearing in court today?" Elliot asked curiously.

Casey shook her head. "No, actually. Not unless you guys get any leads on this George case, I've got nothing but filing." She frowned. "I really hate filing," she stated, mostly to herself. No one else needed to hear her whine. "Why do you ask?"

"I need you to get Liv out of here for a day. She has nothing to do here, and she was on the streets yesterday, so I can't take her. I just don't want her to have to sit home alone watching those birth videos," he stated. "If I have to come home to that image one more time…"

"But you don't," Casey interrupted. "Elliot, you don't live at her place, do you? I mean, you have your own."

Elliot shrugged. "I suppose, but this brings me to my next favor," he began. He looked around the squad room. Fin was out of sight. Munch was hunched over his desk reading the paper or something. Olivia was on her way over to Cragen's office, probably in search of something to do. No one was in hearing range. This was good. He did not want anyone else to know. He could trust Casey. He would have to, but he did not want anyone else to know yet.

"What?" Casey asked.

Elliot's lips turned up slightly into a small smile. "Just casually find out her ring size," he said.

Casey looked at him doubtfully. "Why?"

Elliot's smile grew. He was too excited. It was perhaps the one thing he's been waiting these past seven years to say. "'Cause I'm gonna ask her to marry me."

* * *

((I know, exciting. I'm having fun, and I do want to thank all of you who review. The more I get, the faster I'll update.))  



	14. Chapter 14

((Author's Note: I'm really sorry. I meant to have this up by the weekend, but we lost power in a snowstorm and just got it back about half an hour ago. Anyway, you guys are great. I love you. All goes well with homework and whatnot, I should have the next chapter up by Thursday.))

* * *

Chapter Fourteen 

Casey's mouth dropped open in shock. She smiled and looked over at Elliot. He looked different somehow. His face was shining with a radiance she had never seen before. She did not know how to react. She was happy for the both of them. "Oh, Elliot," she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him. "Congratulations."

"Hey, it's too early for that," Elliot said as he hugged her back. The two of them broke apart and faced each other. "She hasn't exactly said yes yet, and I don't want to jinx it."

"Pfft," Casey argued. "Elliot, it's Olivia and you. She's going to say yes. You know that." She turned around and looked back at the rest of the squad room. Olivia was still in Cragen's office. She could still talk to Elliot. "I'm envious, you know."

"What, of Liv?" Elliot asked curiously. "Casey, it never would have worked out between us," he joked. He gaze back into the squad room at his Olivia. She was radiant. She was also out of Cragen's office now. With both him and Casey staring at her, she might get suspicious. "Go," he whispered to Casey. He gently pushed her towards Olivia.

Casey smiled back at Elliot before joining Olivia at the detective's desk. "Hey, listen, I don't know about you, but I hate all this office work. It'll still be here tomorrow, so what do you say to going shopping or something? You know, all that normal girl-y stuff we never get to do?"

Olivia grinned up at Casey. She placed a few old cold case files down on her desk. That was all Cragen could come up with. "Sure, I'd love to," she said as she pushed herself up from her desk. With her recent doctor appointments and time off work, she had not seen Casey much at all. She had definitely not had time to socialize. She missed that. "Just let me return these files to Cragen and grab a coat," she responded.

"I'll get us a cab," Casey told her. As Olivia headed back to Cragen's, Casey smiled at Elliot. Things would work. She grabbed her own coat and started heading outside to flag down a cab.

* * *

"What about this one?" Casey asked as she held up a medium-sized solid dark pink shirt. Its sleeves would come just past Olivia's elbows. It would also go with the pair of jeans Olivia claimed she "had to have". The thought of Olivia saying that made Casey laugh.

Originally, Olivia had not intended to buy so much clothes. She thought that she would not get the chance to wear them again after this pregnancy. Warner's clothes were good, and she could buy a few more shirts of her own. But once she got to the stores, things changed. She could see herself wearing the outfits. She wanted to see her wearing them. She could picture her and Elliot with them.

Obviously, she would be wearing them. But she had the image in her mind. She and Elliot would remain together. They would probably be married. This child was about three or four. She could not picture a clear sex in her mind for it. She had a strange feeling that it was a boy, but she had no way to be certain. The three of them were walking along a beach somewhere, perhaps in the Outer Banks. She had always wanted to go there. She and Elliot were holding hands as the sun was setting behind them. The child was running ahead of them. And Olivia was pregnant again. The image remained in her mind. Small things. For instance, that night, she saw a small child's hands on her stomach. They were feeling the baby kick. This shirt fit in perfectly with that fantasy.

"Casey, it's gorgeous," she gushed. "And we need to find a white skirt," she said as she walked to the other side of the clothing rack. She started searching through it to find what she desired.

Casey sighed heavily. Olivia had mentioned several family-related fantasies by this point. "Which one would this be for?" she asked.

"Beach," Olivia answered simply. She frowned and sighed with frustration at her inability to find the skirt. "Why don't they have it?" she asked.

"Liv, it's the middle of winter," Casey responded. "They're calling for several inches of snow. Do you really want a summer skirt right now?"

Olivia glanced over at the pile of clothes she had selected already. The bill was not going to be cheap. Her due date was before she would get a chance to actually wear her skirt. She sighed. "I guess not," she admitted. She turned back to her huge pile of clothing. "After I try these on, I think we can check out. Besides, I'm starving. I need chocolate and the food court."

Casey chuckled. "Well, while you try on almost every maternity item the store carries, I think I'll try to find a nice top," she said. "There's the strong possibility of a date coming up in my near future."

"Well, congratulations," Olivia said. "And take as long as you need. This could take awhile." With that, she turned around and headed towards the dressing rooms.

Casey watched her until she was out of sight. She then made a beeline for the jewelry. She needed something cheap but nice that would fit Olivia. As she approached the jewelry, she couldn't help but get excited all over again. In a matter of a few days, her friends would be engaged. She could keep it a secret, but it was still exciting. She smiled, selected a ring, paid for it, and rejoined Olivia.

* * *

After nearly forty-five minutes of Olivia trying on her clothes and checking out, the two women could finally get some food. Olivia was eating some more of the Hershey's bar that Fin and Munch gave her. It would hold her off until they got lunch, but Olivia wanted tacos. Badly.

"Damn it, the line's long," Olivia complained as the two of them reached the food court.

Casey raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Liv, there's like two people."

"Two more than I would have liked," Olivia grumbled.

Casey dismissed Olivia's comment with a "Pfft". She then reached into her pocket where she had the ring. "Oh, Liv, um what size ring do you wear?" she asked.

"Why?" Olivia asked. She was confused. Why did Casey need to know that?"

"Oh, just because my idiot brother wanted to get me a ring, but it was the wrong size. It's nice, but cheap, so he can't return it. I was just wondering if you'd like it," Casey lied. She was getting good at that.

Olivia frowned. "Is that some remark about how swollen my fingers have gotten?" she asked, offended.

"No!" Casey quickly exclaimed. "It's too small for me. I'm an eight, but this is a seven."

"That is my size," Olivia whispered. "Well, technically six and a half, but that's harder to find." She looked down at the ring in Casey's hand. It was small. Silver. There was some sort of pattern on it. Olivia shrugged. It was nice enough. She could think of a shirt she had that would go with it. "Well, if you don't want it," she said.

Casey shrugged back. "Keep it," she said. "Think of it as a gift from me to you." The cashier was calling for the next person in line. "That'd be you," Casey said. "And unlike you, I'm not in the mood for tacos. I think I'll buy some Chinese food and save us a table."

Olivia smiled. "Thanks, Case."

"No problem," Casey responded. Once she was a couple restaurants down in the food court, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Elliot's number.

Elliot answered on the first ring. "Hey, Case, what's up?" he asked. "Did you get it?"

Casey nodded. "Yep," she said. "Six and a half." Her face actually felt warm from the excitement. "So, when are you planning on asking her?" she asked.

"Next Tuesday," Elliot answered proudly.

Casey nodded as she heard his answer. Then she began thinking. Tuesday. Why did that day sound familiar? Today was the sixth, a Monday. She gasped. "Elliot, that's Valentine's Day!" she exclaimed.

Elliot smiled. "I know," he said. "I already have reservations at her two favorite restaurants depending on what she's craving on Tuesday. Aren't I a genius?"

"You're making me lose hope in all other guys," Casey declared. "And now Liv's looking at me, probably wondering why I'm not in line to buy Chinese food. On that note, I'm going."

"Thank you," Elliot said. Six and half. He committed that number to memory. Valentine's Day could not get there any slower in his mind.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

February 14, 2006.

12: 44 P.M.

Today was the day. Elliot had practically waited his whole life for a day like this. It was going to be perfect. It was not perfect with Kathy. Nothing was perfect with him and Kathy. This was him and Olivia. This was right. It felt right.

Valentine's Day 2006. Elliot smiled as he thought of it. He wished it was evening already. Alas, it was not. It was only noon. His Olivia was sitting at her desk. She had the George case file in front of her. She had been staring at it for the past half hour without moving. Elliot doubted she was actually focused on the case.

He did not care. He was not either. The ring was in his pocket. Large, beautiful. His Olivia deserved the best. He let out a sigh and then commanded himself to get back to work. The faster he got to work, the faster he would get the work done, and the faster he could leave. It was a perfect plan.

He glanced at the clock on his desk. Twelve forty-seven. The reservations were for seven. He had a little more than six hours. Everything was already planned out. He knew what tux, shirt, tie, shoes, everything that he was going to wear. Although he had a parking spot in the parking garage to Olivia's building, he would actually go back to his own place to give her time to get ready. Then he would pick her up. They were going to have a real date. The perfect real date.

He could not wait.

* * *

5: 31 P.M.

Elliot glanced through the door at Olivia. Olivia was asleep at her desk. Her arms were folded on top of it where they acted as a makeshift pillow. She was so sweet, Elliot thought. He hated the thought of waking her. But he could not let her sleep. He had to make sure they had enough time to get ready to make their reservations.

"God, do you want me to be the bitch and wake her?" Casey asked at Elliot's hesitance to enter the squad room.

"Would you?" Elliot asked hopefully. He knew that Olivia could not get mad with Casey. Casey was her ride home.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Only because she's my best friend and you want everything on the night of her engagement to be perfect," she responded as she pushed the door open. She walked over to Olivia and gently rubbed the detective's shoulders. "Hey, Liv," she whispered. "Rise and shine. You've got a big date tonight."

Olivia grumbled something incoherently. She opened one eye and looked at Casey. "Can't I go on a date tomorrow night?" she whined.

Casey shook her head as she tried to pull Olivia up from her chair. With the baby weight, it was not as easy. "Olivia," she started as she continued pulling her friend up, "it's the most romantic night of the year. You have a date. Be happy, be grateful, and embrace it." She finally succeed in getting Olivia in a sitting position at her desk. "Besides, it will mean a lot to Elliot, and therefore, a lot to you." She smiled as she spun Olivia's chair around. "Trust me."

"Do you know something I don't, Counselor?" Olivia asked as she rose from her desk. She took the case papers and held them in front of her stomach, almost as if she was hiding the fact that she was pregnant.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Liv, why do you always do that?" she asked. "We all know you're pregnant. You're not fooling anyone." She refused to acknowledge Olivia's question. She wanted to. It was exciting, and she could not be happier for them, but Elliot had sworn her to secrecy. She had to respect that. She sighed. "Come on. We have a little over an hour to get you ready for the best date of your life."

* * *

7:12 P.M.

They were at the restaurant. Olivia was craving Chinese food, so Elliot took her to the best Chinese restaurant in the city. It was Olivia's favorite, so she already knew how expensive it was. It only proved to her how much Elliot really cared. He was always making her as happy as he could.

He gazed across the table at her. Olivia was sipping her water. She was dressed in an elaborate red dress. Her hair was pulled back into some sort of nice hairdo. He did not know what the technical term was, but she looked hot. She was radiant. He simply smiled at her.

Olivia looked up from her water. "What are you staring at?" she asked curiously.

"You," Elliot answered lovingly.

"Why?" Olivia asked. "Do I have food in my teeth? Do you think I'm fat? I'm not fat. I'm pregnant," she argued.

Elliot raised an eyebrow at her. "Calm down," he assured her. "You're perfect."

Olivia took another sip of water. "Thanks," she replied. "And, I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me."

"I do," he told her. "You're pregnant. It's a scary world out there." He took her hand and rubbed it gently. "You don't know what there is to expect. I know you're new at this, so you wouldn't be expected to know. Now I've been by your side for the past couple months," he said. "And I will continue to help you as often as you need it."

He sighed lovingly. His free left hand extended down to his pocket. He grasped the jewelry box containing the ring. "But Liv, that's not what I want. I love you. I want to be with you. I want to watch this child grow."

He took in a deep breath as he pulled the box out of his pocket and flipped it open. "I want to marry you, Olivia." He smiled and grasped her hand. "Olivia Grace Benson, will you marry me?"

* * *

((Author's Note: Sorry it's kind of short, but the chapter had to end there, and I didn't know what else to put in it. I didn't want a bunch of filler babble...But I had to make fun of how poorly NBC is hiding Mariska's pregnancy...On a kind of story-related note (well, more author-related note), I'm like two points away from failing history, which is not good. So I have to spend more time studying, and whatever. I'll try to have the next chapter by the end of the week/beginning of the weekend, but I'm not making promises. History test Thursday. Wish me luck. You're the best.))  



	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The clichéd golden ring band with a large diamond on it, the fancy and elegant restaurant, the small speech. All universally recognized symbols of engagement. Olivia's eyes remained focused on the small red velvet jewelry box in Elliot's hands. The band of the ring was gold. A large diamond was in the center. It was surrounded by two smaller diamonds, one on each side. She blinked. The scene was still there. This was for real. Elliot was actually proposing to her.

The corners of Olivia's mouth turned up. Her face blossomed with a large smile as she met Elliot's eyes. "Yes," she said simply. "Yes, Elliot, I'll marry you." She stood up and walked over to Elliot. He started as her partner. He became her best friend. Now, he was her fiancé. As Elliot stood up, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Let everyone else in the restaurant watch, she thought as her lips moved towards Elliot's.

Their kiss was sweet. Gentle, but passionate. Their lips remained locked for the next two minutes. The way Olivia saw it, it was two minutes of heaven.

"She said 'Yes'!" Elliot exclaimed loudly as he and Olivia pulled away from each other slightly. He hugged her. Some of the couples at surrounding tables clapped for the two of them. Elliot could not stop smiling. It was perfect.

Eventually, the two of them sat down. Elliot took the jewelry box and removed the ring. He grasped Olivia's hand. The two of them just smiled at each other for a moment before Elliot slipped the ring over her finger. "I love you, Liv."

Olivia nodded. "And I love you."

* * *

"Urg!" Casey exclaimed in frustration. It was her self-given day off. She did not have to be in court. She had an intern who willingly wanted to do all of her filing. She had no work-related reason for being at the SVU squad room at eight thirty on a Wednesday morning. However, she had a personal reason. She knew Olivia was going to say yes, but she was the only one who knew about the engagement already. She wanted the details. As Olivia's friend, she was entitled to know them. "Where are they?" she asked as she turned to Munch.

"Easy," Fin told her. "Take a seat." He eyed Casey curiously as the young lawyer walked over and sat down on top of Elliot's desk. He shrugged. Elliot's desk was clean. It had the least amount of stuff.

Munch leaned against his own desk and faced the other two people. Fin was standing behind Elliot's desk with a cup of coffee. Casey was now sitting Indian-style on top of Elliot's desk. He just continued leaning back against his desk and hoping that it would not actually move far. "So, here's a way to make this interesting," he noted. "I'll bet someone ten bucks that Liv's having a boy."

"What makes you say that?" Fin questioned his partner. Like practically everyone else Olivia knew, he had seen the sonogram pictures. The most accurate one was on Olivia's desk as they spoke. Personally, Fin thought it just looked like an alien-like blob on a black sheet of paper. It was something he would expect a child to draw, not something he thought was growing inside of Olivia. He barely could believe it was human. Determining gender was out of the question.

Before Munch could answer, Casey responded. "I'll see your ten and raise you to twenty," she noted. "The baby's going to be a girl."

Fin shook his head. "How can you tell?" he asked with the frustration Casey had only moments earlier.

"Lucky guess," Munch said. "Don't know about Lawyer Chick over there though."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I just have this feeling that it is," she told Fin. "And I like to stick to my feelings until I'm told otherwise." She shrugged. "Besides, it's fifty-fifty, so I have a good chance of getting an easy twenty dollars."

"I'll give you fifty to make out with Olivia for one minute," Fin offered.

Casey simply rolled her eyes at the gesture. Before she had time to think of some retort, the doors to the squad room opened.

Elliot and Olivia walked inside. Olivia was at Elliot's left, and their hands were joined. Both of them were smiling widely. As soon as they were closer to everyone else, Olivia began waving her left hand around at them.

"Elliot, I thought I told you not to let her come to work when she's this hormonal," Munch mock-scolded his friend.

Elliot leaned over and kissed Olivia's forehead. Olivia slapped Munch for his obliviousness. "I'm not all hormonal," she insisted. "We're engaged," she announced as she once again grasped Elliot's hand.

"Congratulations," Munch said sincerely. He was happy for them. He knew it would happen sooner or later. Frankly, he was surprised that Elliot did not ask sooner. He could tell that the other male detective wanted to. His statement was almost instantaneously followed by Fin's.

"Yeah, we're happy for you," Casey added as she hugged Olivia.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "You knew, didn't you?"

Casey shrugged. "What difference does it make?" she asked. "I'm still happy for the both of you."

"I hope you're still happy when you're up there wearing some weird bridesmaid dress that I pick out," Olivia teased. "'Cause you have to be my maid of honor."

Casey's mouth dropped open. She looked at Olivia then hugged her again. "Of course, Liv," she responded. "I'd be honored."

Cragen stepped out of his office. There was noise going on outside of it. All of his detectives and his ADA were gathered around Elliot's desk. There was hugging going on. "Did I miss something?"

Olivia smiled as she walked over to Cragen. "Kinda," she admitted. "Last night, Elliot asked me to marry him." She smiled as she felt Elliot come up beside her. "And I said yes," she finished.

Cragen smiled at the two of them. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Olivia said sincerely. She smiled up at Cragen. "Now I know that this is normally a job for the father of the bride," she began. "But seeing as my father is a sick rapist that I never want to know, I was hoping that, well, that you would be the one to give me away."

Cragen smiled at her. Her words touched him. They brought a smile to his face. "Olivia," he said in a shocked but pleased way. "I'd be honored."

Olivia smiled back at him as she embraced him. "I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

The rest of their day was filled with excitement. Olivia wanted to tell everyone that she was engaged. Her face glowed from the pregnancy and her own excitement. She was on the streets today, which made her happier. She told Warner about their engagement and snuck a bridesmaid request in the same sentence. Huang stopped in at the end of the day, so she and Elliot both told him the news. Like everyone else, Huang congratulated them. He then asked when the wedding was going to be. Olivia smiled and told him, "Soon".

Now she and Elliot were back at home. Olivia was sitting down at the kitchen table. On their way home, they stopped at a grocery store. Olivia now was searching through one of the many bridal magazines she had seen. She only purchased two, but Elliot knew that he would be going all over Manhattan until Olivia had all of them. He did not care though. He was finally marrying the girl of his dreams. There was no harm. It was all good.

As Olivia folded over pages of nice wedding dresses, Elliot was cooking dinner for the two of them. It was a simple meal (macaroni and cheese that was shaped like some cartoon character), and he did not mind cooking it. He actually enjoyed it. "Hey, Liv?" he asked her as he mixed in the cheese sauce.

"Hmm?" Olivia asked as she picked her head up from the magazine.

"How do you feel about me being this child's legal adoptive father?" he asked.

Olivia smiled at him again. She was engaged to Elliot. In her mind, she was carrying his baby. He was taking such good care of her. This was exactly the way things were supposed to be.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"We've got him," Munch exclaimed as he walked back into the squad room. He had just been to forensics regarding the George case. With this new evidence, he was certain that they could secure a search warrant for their rapist/killer. He proudly handed the data to Elliot.

"Are you sure?" Fin questioned. "You've said that the last three times you came back from forensics," he argued. "What makes this one any different?" He wanted to believe that they could solve this case, but he doubted this evidence could do them any good.

Elliot shrugged as he placed the report down on his desk. He started putting on his coat. Although the weather had been unbelievably weird, today was definitely a cold day. He started zippering up his jacket. He really hoped Olivia knew how cold it was. It was only getting colder as the day progressed.

"Apparently Elliot says it's different," Munch responded to his partner's question. "See, he's already off to get a search warrant from Novak."

Elliot shook his head. "Sorry," he said smugly as he handed the report to Fin. "I'm off to meet Olivia at Dr. Carhart's." He smiled. "Besides, Casey's going to be busy all day. Court appearance for the Miller case and new positions in the D.A.'s office."

Munch's eyes lit up slightly at the first half of Elliot's statement. The latter half was lost on him. "You can find the sex of the baby with this appointment, can't you?" he asked in an overly eager tone of voice. Casey had tricked him into raising their bet from twenty dollars to thirty. Fin was still not in on it, but Munch had a feeling he would be soon.

"Why?" Elliot asked as he eyed Munch suspiciously.

Munch shrugged as he started walking over to Cragen's office. "Oh, no reason," he answered smoothly.

"Someone had too much coffee," Fin attempted to explain.

Elliot rolled his eyes. He did not really have time to worry about this. He had to get up to the OB/GYN's office quickly. Olivia would probably already be waiting. He did not want to leave her waiting. It would just be rude. He grabbed the keys to his car and rushed out of the station.

* * *

"Hey there, beautiful," Elliot said as he snuck into the waiting room. He wrapped his arms around Olivia's shoulders from behind her. She was adorable. He kissed her neck before he let go of his embrace and took the seat next to her. He grasped her hand and looked into her eyes. "How long have we been waiting?" he asked curiously. 

Olivia sighed heavily and glanced at her watch. "Well, I'VE been waiting for fifteen minutes, but YOU just got here, and have therefore been waiting for about fifteen seconds." She crossed her arms grumpily over her pregnant bulge. "What took you so long?"

"Phone call with Novak," Elliot answered. "And last time I even showed that I owned a cell phone in this waiting room, the other pregnant women in our great city looked like they were about to kill me," he added. "Plus Munch was being weird before I left the squad room."

Olivia shrugged. "Well, Munch is always kind of odd." She rested her head on Elliot's shoulder. "What'd Casey want?"

"Something about the new Bureau Chief," Elliot answered. He smiled. He knew he should not keep Olivia in suspense. Of course, Olivia did not know there was any reason for her to be in suspense, but still. He wanted to be able to surprise her. After their appointment, he would.

Olivia shrugged. It did not sound too important. Casey probably just wanted to complain that she would have to be working under another person she did not like. She could listen to Casey complain later. Right now, she had a baby to provide for and a wedding to plan. That alone would keep her busy until she went to asleep. "Thought of any good places for the wedding?" Olivia asked.

Elliot shrugged. "All of the really romantic-as-hell ones I wanted were already booked," he started. He had to get Olivia to drop the subject. He had the perfect place picked out. There was a deposit down so that he and Olivia could have it. He actually made the reservation the same day he bought her ring. It was perfect. He knew she'd like it. He just had to surprise her. He rubbed Olivia's shoulders gently. "We'll find something, sweetie."

"Do we have to have the wedding in April?" Olivia asked back. "That's really soon, Elliot," she pointed out. "Plus, it rains in April, and we're never going to find a good place."

"Well, if you don't want an April wedding, we don't have to have one," he assured her. "But your due date's in May. It'll be hard to find a good date for you to be available after that." He sighed as he continued looking at her. There was this look of desperation and hopelessness upon her. He hated it. He had to make her feel better. "Besides, I think I got a good place," he mentioned. "You'll love it."

Olivia's mouth dropped open. This was certainly surprising. A good surprise, but still surprising. She should have known Elliot would have a place in mind. He had been hesitant to talk about the actual location of the wedding. He cared about how many people they were inviting, what time they wanted the wedding, the band, the catering, and the flowers. The things a good place for a wedding would want to know. She knew she could trust him. Things were going to be ok. She leaned her head up towards him and kissed his lips. "I love you," she whispered.

"And I love you," Elliot answered back. "That's why we're going down to check it out after the appointment."

Olivia smiled. "You're a good man, Elliot Stabler." She sighed again. "Well, if this place is so great and we have it for the first weekend in April, then we'll need a guest list ASAP."

"Well, we're not inviting that many people, are we?" Elliot asked her. "I thought you wanted this to be small. Family and close friends. Plus, obviously the wedding party."

"Of which we are still lacking a best man," Olivia pointed out, almost crossly. "Come on, El. I've had Casey and Warner as bridesmaids from Day One."

Elliot nodded. "I know, I know," he told her. "I just can't decide if I want someone from SVU or one of my friends from the army or something." He smiled and rubbed his fingers over her cheek. "I'll have one for you, Liv. I promise."

Olivia said nothing more about the issue. They needed a guest list. If they could not come to an agreement about the wedding party, at least they could get a guest list going. "Who else do you think we should invite?"

Elliot shrugged. "I suppose some friends from the precinct, the D.A.'s office, the army."

"Goren and Eames?" Olivia suggested. "Alex and I have been getting closer as a result of this whole pregnancy thing."

"Sure," Elliot agreed. He smiled at Olivia. His eyes darted to her stomach again. "Hey, do we want to know the sex of the baby?" he asked. "I think there's somewhat of a bet going on back at the squad room. Munch was just to eager to know."

Olivia chuckled. "Let's keep them waiting," she noted. "Besides, I don't really want to know. You can say I'm old-fashioned, but some things are meant to be surprises."

* * *

Elliot and Olivia finally left the office a little before noon. The baby was healthy. That was all that mattered. They declined to know the baby's sex. Olivia breathed in the fresh air as she stepped outside. "That was long," she stated. 

"Hungry?" Elliot asked her as he wrapped his arm around her and began leading her to his car.

"Starving," Olivia answered. "And I want Chinese food. I don't care if it's crappy food-court style Chinese, but I need it." She opened the door to the passenger side of the car and crawled in. Luckily, the car had been sitting in the sun for the past hour and a half, so it was nice and warm inside.

Elliot crawled into the car from the other side. He closed the door and started the ignition. He scanned the streets for the closest mall or Chinese restaurant. It took him nearly half an hour to find a good place to eat and parking, but Olivia did not care. In the end, she got her food. That was the important thing at the moment. Lunch took almost an hour with the service of the restaurant. During that lunch, they pretty much finalized the guest list. It took ten napkins, but they did it.

As they exited the restaurant, Elliot received a phone call. He smiled at the number. He could not risk Olivia overhearing him, so he sent her ahead to heat up the car. He wanted to go back to pick up dessert for later. That was his excuse, so now he needed to buy food. Chocolate cake, he decided. Olivia always craved chocolate.

Once Olivia was out of hearing range, Elliot looked at his phone. He had missed the call, but he could call her right back. "Hey, are you ready?" he asked. He smiled as he ordered the cake. "That's great," he said. The cake was placed into a carryout box. The box went into a bag. Elliot thanked the cashier, paid for the slice of cake, and left. "Don't worry," Elliot assured the caller. "She won't be mad. She knows she's seeing the hotel. And she'll be thrilled to see you." He smiled again and said good-bye.

Filled with excitement, he walked over to the car. "So, Liv, ready to see the place I thought would be great for the wedding?" he asked.

Olivia smiled. "Of course," she responded. She could not wait. This was too exciting. She saw as Elliot drove through the city. They drove past St. Catherine's. Were they getting married in a church? She knew Elliot was Catholic, but she did not know if he wanted a church wedding. He had one with Kathy, but that did not end well. She did not know.

Wait a minute. Now they were passing a bunch of hotels. Fancy ones, too. They were slowing down, but not because of traffic. Her heart pounded with excitement. Elliot pulled into a parking space and walked over to let Olivia out. With his arm around her waist, he guided her towards The Mark.

Olivia's mouth dropped open again. "Elliot, how the hell were you able to get this place?" she asked.

"So you like it?" Elliot asked her.

"Like it!" Olivia gasped. "Elliot, I love it!" She grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. She kissed his lips. "But how were you able to get it on such short notice?"

"By the luckiest break known to man kind," Elliot answered. "I was checking out the reception hall, and the lady asked which weekend I was looking at. I told her, and she said there had been a cancellation only two days ago." He smiled as he grasped her hand and rushed inside. "But there's something even better."

"You got that band we liked?" Olivia asked with excitement.

Elliot shook his head. "No," he noted. "But this is someone you'll want to see." He smiled and walked her down towards the reception hall.

Olivia beamed with happiness. How could she not? This place was gorgeous. It was everything she wanted for a wedding place. She could actually see herself getting married here. It made her more excited.

Elliot opened the door to the reception hall. "Isn't it gorgeous?" he asked her.

Olivia nodded. "Yes," she said. She hugged Elliot. "I am so glad you found this place. Thank you."

Elliot kissed her forehead. "Only the best for my Olivia," he stated. He wrapped his hand around her waist again. He glanced around the room and coughed slightly.

Olivia eyed him curiously, but she could not comment on his actions. She saw the person Elliot had been referring to this entire time. She could not believe it was true. "Alex?" she asked as she walked over towards the back of the room.

Alex smiled back as she started walking towards Olivia. "Hey," she responded. "It's so good to see you. Congratulations, by the way."

"Alex," Olivia said again. It was the only thing she could say. This was shocking. She wanted desperately to believe it, but she did not know if she could. "How is this true?"

Elliot smiled. "Meet the new Bureau Chief ADA," he stated. "But I believe you've already met her." He smiled at the two of them. "Take all the time you need. I'll give you some girl time."

* * *

((Sorry for the delay. I meant to publish it earlier in the week, but then I remembered that "Conviction" premeires this week. Seeing as SVU did not mention Alex's return, I had to.))  



	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: I am SO sorry for the delay. I had the flu last week, so therefore there were a million things to make up this week, plus all the usual end of the quarter chaos. But we have a three-day weekend, so I'll try to have the next chapter up very quickly. You guys have been wonderful. And on a story-related note, the writers of Conviction have yet to explain how Alex got out of WPP. Since I don't want to be screwed in the future, I'm keeping that part vague. If anyone is curious, I do have another story dedicated to her return. But enough of my ramblings, let's mess with Olivia's life.

Spoilers: Conviction premiere (to the basic extent that Alex is back and she's the Bureau Chief).

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

Elliot left the hotel almost right after reuniting Alex and Olivia. He claimed he had some things to straighten out with the hotel manager then he was meeting Munch in Queens to interrogate a witness. Olivia was not sure of how reliable his story actually was, but she did not question him. Alex was there, and that was much more intriguing. "How?" she asked again as she and Alex moved over and sat down at one of the tables at the side of the room.

"Long story," Alex admitted with a sigh. "And I can't really talk about it completely. Basically, the Feds located and extradited Valez. However, there were more pressing charges against him than my attempted murder. I'll get a court date eventually. The important thing is that he's in isolated federal custody," she explained. The smile returned to her face. "And Branch offered me Liz Donnelly's former position as Bureau Chief, so I'm not going anywhere."

Olivia returned Alex's smile. She shared the joy that the younger woman had. "Well, it's certainly good to see you," she stated truthfully. "I know you got off easy, but two years is too long. I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Alex responded. Her eyes darted towards Olivia's stomach, to the engagement ring on Olivia's finger, then back to her stomach. "Obviously I've missed more than you have. Congratulations, again, but I can't exactly say I'm surprised."

Olivia eyed Alex curiously. "You can't?" she asked.

Alex shook her head. "Liv, when I first started working for SVU, I knew that Elliot was married. I didn't know his wife's name, so I kind of assumed it was you. You guys have always been great together."

Olivia nodded slowly as her mouth moved into an 'O' formation. "Elliot didn't tell you the entire story behind this, did he?" she immediately questioned. She should not have assumed that he did. It was not exactly something to tell after seeing someone for the first time nearly a year.

Again, Alex shook her head. She was missing something. That was evident to her. There was information that she did not know. Judging by how Olivia asked the question, Alex inferred that the circumstances leading to the pregnancy were not ideal. She did not know if Olivia and Elliot just felt they were not ready for a child, if they felt their work at the SVU would suffer, or if it was something worse. She hoped it was one of the first two, but she believe d the last reason was the most likely. However, if Olivia did not want to talk about it, she would respect that.

"Of course," Olivia noted. She exhaled deeply and looked around the hall again. It was like her perfect ideal fantasy wedding reception hall. She loved it. She loved Elliot for finding it. Everything was perfect. In the course of the past couple of weeks, she had not even thought of the event that started everything. She knew she loved Elliot for more reasons than just supporting her in all of this. However, it might have taken them longer to admit it if she was not pregnant. And she would not be pregnant if she was not raped. It was far from an ideal way to get engaged to someone. While she had come to terms with what happened, she did not like talking about it in public, especially not in the place she hoped to get married. "I'll tell you," she started.

"No, Liv, it's ok," Alex interrupted. She already felt bad for bringing the issue up. She could have just said "Congratulations" and left it at that. "If you're not comfortable about this, I don't need to know. I'll still love the little kid, won't I?"

Olivia chuckled. "I would expect nothing less from you," she commented. "And I will tell you, but not here. This place is too…innocent for me to tell you here." She pushed herself up from the table and finally stood up. She reached for her coat and placed it over her shoulders. She looked around the hall once again. In a little over a month, she would be getting married in it. "I really am lucky," she whispered. She turned to Alex. "But I'm also hungry. You wanna get a hot dog or something?"

Alex shrugged, and the two of them left the hotel.

* * *

Elliot glanced at the piece of paper in front of him and up at the house in front of which he was parked. The addresses were the same. He was at the right place.

Since he and Kathy officially divorced, he has only seen her once or twice. The only words they exchanged were about the kids. They're still doing fine. Elliot was not here to see them though. Not this time. He exhaled deeply and exited the car. He walked up the driveway. It took him a few breaths before he could gather up the courage to ring the doorbell.

"Mom, Kenny's here early!" he heard a screech from the other side of the door. Dickie. Elliot chuckled slightly as he had the perfect image of his son lying slouched across the couch calling for Kathy. He listened more closely, and he heard Kathy exclaiming a few curse words. She was saying how she was not ready. Elliot then felt bad.

It was not unreasonable for Kathy to be dating again. After all, he was engaged. Elliot knew he should have called first. He saw the door start to open. "Kathy, if now's a bad time, I can come back later," he said before she could open the door all the way.

Kathy gasped at Elliot. She was dressed in a stylish little black dress. Her hair was half curled. She was definitely going on a date, and she was definitely not ready for it yet. "Elliot, what are you doing here?" she asked him as she adjusted her pearl necklace around her neck.

"I'm sorry. I should have called first. How much time do you have?" Elliot asked as he gestured at her outfit. He knew what that outfit meant. It was one of Kathy's two favorite dresses. This Kenny guy must be very special.

Kathy shrugged as she opened the door all the way. "Over an hour," she admitted as she let him in. "You probably think this is pathetic."

Elliot shook his head. "Not at all," he told her honestly as he closed the door. He looked past Kathy at the couch. As predicted, Dickie was lying across it with his feet on the coffee table. A blanket was draped over his body. Elliot knew that the reason for his being home was that he was sick. "Hey," Elliot said.

"Hey," Dickie responded. He stared at Elliot for a couple more seconds before reverting his attention to the television.

"Elliot, what are you doing here?" Kathy asked again. She walked into the kitchen towards the fridge as if she was going to offer Elliot a drink.

Elliot declined before answering her question. "I just have some news," he said. "And I wanted to be the one to tell you before you heard it from someone else. I don't know who that someone else would be, but I didn't want to take the risk."

"Ok," Kathy said slowly as she got herself a glass of water. She had the vague feeling she might need it. "Did you and Olivia get together?" she asked. Her tone was not hostile. During the separation and divorce, it would have been. But she had Kenny now, and she really liked him. Luckily for her, the kids liked him, too. She had a strong loving man who actually came home at normal hours. She was ready to accept that Elliot was dating again. She always knew he loved Olivia.

Elliot nodded. "Well, yes, but that's not really why I came. There's more to it than that." He was hesitant to elaborate. Kathy had the right to know. He certainly would hope that she would tell him if she was getting remarried and having a child with this Kenny. But he did not know. It might be too much to handle at a time.

Kathy nodded slowly. "You can tell me, Elliot," she assured him. "I'm in a good place in my life. I guess you've figured out that I'm seeing someone. And it's working well between us. I like him, the kids like him."

"Well, that's good," Elliot admitted. It certainly made him feel better telling her this now that he knew she was also with someone. He exhaled as he tried to think of the best way to frame the information. "But Olivia and I aren't just seeing each other. See, back in August, Olivia was raped."

"Oh god," Kathy interrupted. "Did they catch the guy? Is she ok?"

Elliot nodded. "Guy's in Rikers, and she's accepted the situation. Of course, it was more than that. She's pregnant," he explained. "Six months now," he added.

"Oh god," Kathy said again. "Is she really ok?"

Elliot nodded. "That kind of brings me to the real reason I'm here," he admitted. "Olivia and I…" He stopped. He knew he had to tell her. There was no getting out of it now. "Olivia and I are getting married," he finally said. "I just didn't want you to hear it from anyone else."

Kathy was taken aback. She knew that Olivia and Elliot would get together. It was obvious. But getting married this soon. She was not jealous. No, she was more just shocked. "I, um, I appreciate that," she said. "And, um, congratulations."

"You're ok with this?" Elliot asked.

Kathy nodded. "I'm not going to be your best man or anything, but I'm fine," she told him. "I knew it would happen eventually, and like I said, I'm in a good place." She exhaled as the two of them stood up. She looked at Elliot. "Take care of her, Elliot," she said.

"And you keep doing the fabulous job you're doing with the kids," Elliot said as he headed towards the door. "Feel better," he called to Dickie. Dickie gave a wave before Elliot opened the door. "Take care of yourself, Kathy," he said.

Kathy nodded. "You, too."

* * *

"So have you thought about any baby names?" Alex asked as she and Olivia sat down in a café. They had a couple of donuts to split between the two of them as well as some hot chocolate. "Or do you even know the gender?"

Olivia shook her head. "In my line of work, there are too many unpleasant surprises. It's nice to have a good one," she said. "And earlier Elliot and I were thinking of names for both genders, but now our attention is more on planning the wedding." She grabbed a chocolate donut and split it in half. As she handed one half to Alex, she decided the best way to speak her request in. "Speaking of which, now that you are back, will you be a bridesmaid? The dresses aren't that uncommon, so I know we can get you one." Before Alex had a chance to respond, Olivia kept trying to sell her on the idea. "And don't worry, they're not really ugly either. They're simple but elegant blue dresses."

Alex smiled. "Of course, Liv," she said. "I'd love to." She started eating the donut. "And if you want to talk about names, I think Stephanie is a fine name for a girl," she added after swallowing.

Olivia chuckled. "I'll take it into consideration, but wedding first."

"You excited about it?" Alex asked before she took a sip of her hot chocolate.

Olivia nodded. "It's stressful right now, but I couldn't be happier. This child is going to have a loving family at home and a loving extended family," she said. As she said the last part, she looked at Alex. "I couldn't ask for more."


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer/Author's Note: When Dick Wolf puts the rights to his characters on eBay, I will outbid you all. However, that day is not today, so I still don't own them. And I don't own the lyrics to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from _Dirty Dancing. _I just grew up on that soundtrack, and I've therefore had that song picked out from day one. And obviously, seeing as it is still the end of March, I don't actually know what the weather is going to be like in New York on their wedding day. If I was that psychic, I would predict the winning lottery numbers for the power ball and give the money to Dick Wolf and get the characters that way. Sigh. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

April 2, 2006

It was finally here. Elliot and Olivia had been waiting a month and a half for this date to come, and it was finally here. Their wedding day. The circumstances could not be any better. The weather was nice. The temperature would be in the mid to upper sixties that afternoon. The wedding hall was ready. The chairs were white and soft. There were large bows at the end of each row in the middle. They had the reception hall to the hotel decorated perfectly. The tablecloths were white with a gold trim at the bottom. Large and tall vases were placed in the middle of each of the circular tables. They were tall enough that the flowers in them would not be in the way of the plates or cups. The caterers were busy preparing the food in the kitchen. Everything was perfect.

Olivia and the rest of the bridesmaids were in one of the hotel rooms on the second floor. It was a large room, and it was perfect for getting her ready. She had her dress picked out, and Casey was searching through her make-up to decide what would be perfect. All of the make-up she thought could work was spread out on the bed in front of her.

Olivia was in the bathroom putting her dress and pantyhose on. She had already showered and dried her hair. She was trying to make every last detail with her dress and jewelry perfect before she exited.

Alex gave a short knock on the main door to the hotel room. She was dressed in the light blue bridesmaid dress. It was simple. The sleeves came a few inches below her shoulders, and the dress went almost down to the floor.

Within a few seconds, the door opened. Alex could not tell who it was at first, but as soon as she entered she realized it was Warner. Warner was dressed in the same dress, and it looked equally as nice on her. "Flowers are here," Alex announced as she placed the box of flowers down on the coffee table in the hotel room. She then started separating them into bundles for them to carry.

"Hey, Alex, what shade of lipstick are you wearing?" Casey called over to the other bridesmaid. She kept scanning her own selection of make-up. She was thinking about a light pink shade, but she did not know how natural of a tone everyone else was wearing.

Alex looked up as she handed one bouquet of flowers to Warner. "Actually I'm just wearing this new lip gloss I got," she responded. She then handed the next bouquet to Warner.

Warner wrapped the bouquet together with a gold ribbon. "I can help you pick out a shade," she offered as she wrapped the last bridesmaid bouquet. Before she could cross the room over to the bed, the bathroom door opened.

Olivia looked absolutely gorgeous. She emerged from the bathroom with her hands by her side. The light from the bathroom reflected off of her, giving her a more heavenly look. Her dress was lovely. There were no sleeves on it. The neckline was a V-neck/ maternity style one. White sequins formed flower patterns down the V. The dress did not hide her pregnancy, but it did not emphasize it either. It came down to the floor. She had one-carat diamond stud earrings in her ears. A silver necklace with a heart was around her neck. Her hair was curled slightly and left down. She smiled. "What do you think?" she asked.

"You've never looked happier," Warner said sincerely.

"Liv, you look great," Alex added. "This is your day, and you look like you're going to enjoy it."

Olivia smiled as she walked over towards the bed where Casey had laid out all of the make-up. She picked up a light pink shade of lipstick and handed it to her friend. "This is what you want," she said. She then took some mascara and walked over towards the mirror behind the door. She drew in a deep breath before applying it.

"You ready?" Casey asked. She finished applying the lipstick. She then smiled and walked over towards Olivia. "You really do look beautiful."

Olivia smiled again. "I feel it," she said happily. "Dress, shoes, hair, make-up, flowers, jewelry," she recited. Panic was starting to fill in her body. She had that vague feeling she was missing something. She did not like it. "Is there anything else?" she asked frantically. She quickly turned to Casey. "What is it?"

"Shh," Casey assured her friend. "You're not forgetting anything."

"Yes, she is," Warner interrupted as she walked over towards her purse.

"Melinda!" Casey scolded. She knew how particular Olivia was about this. Everything had to be perfect. Olivia was getting married in about forty-five minutes. She did not have time to panic.

"Relax," Warner said soothingly. She opened her purse and pulled out a white garter. "I've got your something borrowed," she said as she handed it to Olivia.

Olivia smiled. "Thank you, Melinda."

"Out of curiosity, what is your something old?" Alex asked as she tilted her head in Olivia's direction. "Not that I'm trying to scare you…"

Olivia shrugged. "It's fine, Alex," she said. "I have something. Elliot wanted me to get married in his grandmother's wedding veil. I'm just waiting for Kathleen to bring it up."

As soon as she said that, there was another knocking at the door. "It's Kathleen," the person called.

Warner walked over and opened the door. She took the box from Kathleen and thanked her.

Kathleen smiled as she walked in slightly. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of Olivia. "Wow," she said. "Olivia, you look gorgeous. And you make my dad happy. I can tell." She smiled and walked towards Olivia. Once she was there, she embraced her lightly. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Kathleen," Olivia responded as she returned Kathleen's hug. It felt good that Kathleen supported the marriage. After all, in less than an hour, Olivia would be Kathleen's stepmother. "It means a lot to me that you're here."

"Of course," Kathleen said. "I'm gonna go back downstairs. Y'know, help the guests."

Olivia nodded as she opened the box and placed the veil on her head. She could hear the door closing as she did such. She walked back towards the mirror.

"You're perfect," Alex stated with a smile.

* * *

Elliot was waiting in the hallway between the wedding hall and the reception hall. He recognized nearly everyone that was there. The guests were taking their place cards and saving themselves a seat in the reception hall. From there, they were either saving seats in the wedding hall or gathering in the hallway talking. However, Elliot was just standing there. He was too excited to make small talk right now. The wedding was in about twenty minutes, and he could not wait.

Cragen walked up to Elliot. "You're a really lucky man, Elliot," he said. "I see the two of you together, and I know. Nowadays, it's hard to find someone. But you and Olivia have it."

"I want to see her," Elliot said.

"You will soon enough," Cragen assured him. He saw one of Elliot's daughters walking towards them. He took that as his cue to leave. Besides, he was giving Olivia away. He should go be with her right now. There were less than twenty minutes until the wedding.

Maureen walked up to Elliot and hugged him tightly. "You look great, Dad," she whispered as she pulled away from him. "I can't believe this is happening."

"You mean that in a good way, right?" Elliot asked her.

Maureen nodded. "We're all proud of you," she said. "Even Mom." She sighed. "And I know you can't possibly wait fifteen minutes. The guests are all here, and the minister's ready. I sent Kathleen to get Olivia, so now I'll sit with the twins." She smiled and kissed Elliot's cheek. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Elliot said as he watched her go through the crowd of people. Once she was in the wedding hall, he walked through in search of his groomsmen. He finally decided on Munch to be his best man. Of all the people he knows and sees regularly, he has known Munch the longest.

"Hey," Fin said as he approached Elliot. Munch was right behind him, and Elliot's friend Mike from the marines was behind him. The three of them were serving as groomsmen. "You ready?" he asked.

Elliot nodded as he and Munch walked down towards the altar. The minister was there already. Everything was finally going the way he wanted it to go. He was at the hotel. He was minutes away from marrying the girl of his dreams. He smiled.

* * *

"Ready, Olivia?" Casey asked as she, Olivia, Alex, Warner, and Cragen shared an elevator ride down. "'Cause you only have about two minutes to back out of this," she teased.

"I'm ready," Olivia said as the elevator doors opened. The bridesmaids were the first ones to exit.

Cragen held the elevator door open and allowed her to exit before he did. He then smiled as he followed her. "You are ready, Olivia," he told her. "And you look beautiful. Your mother would have loved to see this. I know she'd be proud, just like I am."

Olivia smiled back at him. "Thanks, Captain," she said as the two of them turned the corner and started heading for the wedding hall. It was perfect. She glanced outside. The sun was shining. It was perfect. She hugged Cragen slightly before she stopped at the back of the wedding hall.

Alex was first in the line with Elliot's friend Mike right beside her. Warner and Fin followed behind them, and Casey followed them. Olivia's heart skipped a beat as she heard the music start playing. The band was perfect. The violins were a nice touch. She saw her and Elliot's friends walking down the aisle. Then she could see Elliot. Her refuge, her best friend. In a few minutes, he would be her husband.

Casey was up at the altar. The rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were sitting in the front row, either on her side or Elliot's. There was not much of a distinction. It was more wherever guests could find room. Most of the guests were both of theirs anyway.

All the guests rose. Cragen slipped his arm around Olivia's. The music continued as Olivia and Cragen started walking down the aisle. Olivia's happiness could not be contained in just one smile.

Neither could Elliot's. He looked down the aisle at his Olivia. She was radiant. He loved her, and he knew he was marrying her. She approached the end of the aisle. Cragen kissed her cheek and let her walk up to Elliot. The two of them embraced and then the ceremony could start.

* * *

It was a lovely ceremony. Very romantic, but not too long. Dickie Stabler thought it was "too mushy", but all of Elliot's other children thought it was perfect. The photographer was getting his last couple of official pictures in. Most of the guests were already in the reception hall.

As the photographer finished, the bridesmaids and groomsmen re-entered the wedding hall. Elliot wrapped his arm around Olivia.

"Congratulations, again," Casey said as she hugged the two of them. "It was a lovely ceremony."

"Yeah, and now everyone in there wants to see the happy couple," Fin said. "And I warn you that lots of them are grabbing those disposable cameras. You'll be inundated with flashes."

"I don't care," Elliot said as he grabbed Olivia's hand. "We're married now. Nothing can go wrong."

"Ok," Alex said. "I'll go tell the band that you're about to come in." With that, she disappeared towards the reception hall. Casey, Munch, and Fin were right behind her.

Elliot smiled as he turned to Olivia. "You ok?" he asked her as they slowly started walking towards the back of the wedding hall.

"I'm more than ok," Olivia said. She smiled up at Elliot. "Thank you," she told him. "For everything. I love you, and I'm so glad I have you."

Elliot kissed her forehead. The two of them reached the entrance to the reception hall. Elliot saw the leader of the band. The music was hooked up for the first song. In seconds they would be introduced.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Munch said as he saw Elliot and Olivia standing just behind the doorway. "For those of you who don't know me, well, shame on you. I'm Detective John Munch, and I'm the best man. I have known both Olivia and Elliot for more than seven years now, and I have not seen a couple more in love then these two right now. I know that the love we're celebrating today will avoid the normally inevitable doom. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Elliot Stabler."

The guests started clapping. Elliot smiled as he and Olivia stepped through the entrance and towards the dance floor. As soon as their feet touched it, the music started playing. The song was Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' duet "(I've had) The Time of My Life" from the movie _Dirty Dancing_. Elliot's smile has not been wider. He grabbed Olivia and started dancing with her.

Olivia was shocked at how good of a dancer he was. She smiled back at him as she wrapped her arms around him. This moment was perfect. She knew that all of the eyes in the room were on the two of them. She did not care. Nothing could interrupt her happiness. The song was perfect. It depicted everything that she was feeling. She smiled up at Elliot as she started singing along. "I've never felt this way before," she mouthed.

Elliot pulled her closer to him. She could hear his singing as well. It was perfect.

"Look at them," Casey whispered to Alex. "Aren't the something? I want something like that," she admitted. "You know?"

Alex nodded. "They're perfect for each other. I'm happy for them. It's good."

"Not at all jealous," Casey said as she kept her gaze on them. They were the living proof that marriage could still work.

"Of course not," Alex said. She looked back at Olivia and Elliot. The two of them were dancing and singing. She had not seen them happier. They truly were having the time of their lives. It was perfect.

Olivia knew the song was ending. Since she had been engaged, she had heard it a million times. "And I owe it all to you," she finished as she hugged Elliot tightly.

Elliot smiled at her as he kissed her lips. "I love you, Liv." As the next song started playing, the two of them motioned for all of the other couples to join them. Bobby Goren and Alex Eames from the Major Case Squad were the first people on the floor with them. Alex's happiness could almost match Olivia's. Slowly, other couples made their way to the floor. Warner had grabbed her husband. Elliot's friend Mark grabbed his wife.

"Ninety-seven percent happy, only three percent jealous," Casey said as she leaned against the wall.

"Right," Alex agreed. "Besides, I need more time to focus on my career right now. The D.A.'s office hired a bunch of people while I was in Witness Protection."

"And there's always rapists with sneakier defense attorneys," Casey added. "That's why I can be ninety-six percent happy for them and four percent jealous of them."

"Of course," Alex said.

* * *

Seven more romantic songs plus a line dance style song played before the first course was being served. Elliot smiled as he walked over towards the first table. Olivia was right behind him. The two of them sat down. Elliot was on Olivia's right, and Casey was on her left. Munch was on the other side of Elliot. The rest of the wedding party was at the first table along with any dates or spouses they brought. There was a table towards the back for all the children under fifteen. Maureen and Kathleen were originally seated at the first table, but Kathleen had convinced someone to switch with her so she could spend all the time with one of the other cop's sons who was about a year older than her.

Casey smiled down at Olivia before she stood up completely. Several people started clanking their silverware against their wine glasses. She smiled once she got everyone's attention. "Good evening, everyone," she said. "I'm Casey Novak, Olivia's maid of honor," she introduced herself. "I've known Olivia for about two and half years now. Our line of work is not always the best. In fact, during the first case we worked together, Olivia told me how hard it was to find love while doing what we do. She told me that most men are either completely turned off by it or they're sick and way too interested in hearing the details. I have to admit that her statement there scared me a little. But then I look at her and Elliot. They don't make it seem that hard. It comes natural with them. It's perfect. They're my hope. They're proof that love exists." She raised her wine glass. "To Olivia and Elliot."

Olivia and Elliot turned to each other and locked their lips. The guests clapped.

Once the clapping had stopped, Fin stood up. Again, people tapped their wine glasses. "Hey, I'm Fin Tutuola," Fin started. "I've known Olivia and Elliot for about six and a half years or so. I don't really have anything romantic to say except that I would love to see them kiss again."

Olivia rolled her eyes at him, but she leaned closer to Elliot. She ran her fingers through his hair as their lips met. She was alive. She loved the moments like this. She felt Elliot's hands running down her back. It was heaven.

* * *

After the first and second courses were served and eaten, Olivia and Elliot were back on the dance floor. The usual couples from earlier were with them. The band was taking a break, so they were just dancing to songs from various people's CD collections. The current one was "Take My Breath Away". It was another one of the songs that Olivia has been listening to a lot recently. The two of them were mouthing the lyrics to each other.

Alex sighed as she walked over to Casey. "Are they cutting the cake soon?" she asked.

Casey shrugged. "Judging by how often that baby eats, I'm surprised they haven't already," she responded.

Fin walked up to the two of them. "Hey, you two. You're lonely and not dancing. Munch and I are lonely and not dancing," he said. He shrugged. "Do you want to be lonely and not dancing together?" he offered as Munch approached from behind him.

Casey chuckled. "I'm fine with the together part, but this is the time to be dancing," she argued. "It doesn't mean anything, but let's get out there," she said as she took Munch's hand. She dragged him out to the dance floor and started dancing with him. She was much more coordinated than he was. That combined with the large age difference between them made the two of them quite a sight.

"Why me?" Munch asked curiously. "I mean, if it doesn't mean anything, then why not Fin? Unless Alex likes Fin…"

Casey shrugged. "I don't really know how Alex feels about Fin," she said. "But you're just a good person, Munch. This is just my way of paying you back for how nice you were to me when you thought I was pregnant a couple months ago," she explained.

Munch sighed. "So are you ever actually going to pay me back?" he asked.

"Don't worry," Casey started. "I never cashed or deposited the check."

The song was ending. Olivia rested her head against Elliot's shoulder. "Hey, El," she began. "Can we cut the cake soon? The combination of dancing and being pregnant is making me tired," she said.

Elliot nodded as he picked her up and took her over towards the cake. The crowd followed. Olivia cut a slice of the cake then handed the knife to Elliot. He did the same. The two of them smiled at each other as they fed each other the slice of cake. Elliot then pulled her into a hug. They handed the knife back to the caterers who proceeded to cut the rest of the cake.

Elliot smiled as he walked over towards their table. He glanced at Olivia. "I'm truly the luckiest man alive. It's all because of you," he told her.

"Ew," Dickie commented as he turned back to face his father. "Dad, I can hear you, y'know. Save the mushy stuff for when you're having sex."

Elliot rolled his eyes at his son. "Just go have some cake, ok?" he asked. "The reception's almost over, and then Maureen will drive you home."

* * *

About an hour later, Olivia was officially ready to get back home. She was happy, but she could barely keep her eyes open. Elliot knew this. He wrapped his hand around her waist and walked over towards Munch and Casey. "Liv's exhausted," he said. "We're going to head off. Can you guys take care of the gifts and cameras and whatnot?"

"Of course," Casey said. "Do you want us to get you a room here?"

Elliot shook his head. "We're not that far," he admitted. "Besides, we don't have anything to change into here." He smiled as he picked Olivia up in his arms. He carried her towards the car. Munch was behind them with the keys. He opened the passenger door so Elliot could place Olivia in the car. Elliot kissed her forehead. "I love you," he whispered for the millionth time that evening.

He thanked Munch and then walked back to the other side of the car. He started the ignition and drove through the parking lot. It did not take long for him to merge into traffic upon leaving the parking lot. It would not take that long to eat home. Besides, he had the energy. He was fairly certain that Olivia was already asleep. If not, she was about to fall asleep.

He was truly the luckiest man alive. He loved Olivia. After all these years of wanting to be with her, his dream was true. In a little over seven weeks, Olivia would give birth to that darling baby. He could not wait to spend the rest of his life with her.

He stopped at the red light. What he did not expect was for the car behind him to want to keep going. He felt his stomach jump as the car rear-ended them. The jolt had awoken Olivia. He could hear her breathing heavily. He had to calm her down. He had to remain calm. He did not feel any pain. The car barely moved forward, so he did not think too much damage was done. He sighed with slight relief as he turned to Olivia. "You ok?" he asked her.

Olivia's hands were over her stomach. She quickly shook her head. "Elliot, something hurts."

* * *

((Author's Note: All right. I know exactly what is going to happen for the rest of the story. I know exactly what to say. The only trouble is going to be time. This week is Tech Week for the Drama Club, so I won't be getting home until 6:30. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Until then, read and review. You're the best.))  



	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: Seriously, I had this done on the weekend, but my computer would not upload it. Bad computer.

* * *

Chapter Twenty 

Inside, Elliot was freaked out. Olivia just told him that something hurts. That could not be good. He knew it was bad. He just did not know how bad it was. Although he was beyond scared, he forced himself to remain calm for Olivia's sake. "What kind of pain?" he asked her as he took her hand.

Before Olivia had a chance to answer, about ten cars honked at them. The light was now green. In New York City, that meant everyone behind the first car has to honk. Elliot groaned as he pulled onto the side street. Luckily for him, the car who hit them followed.

The driver walked out and walked over towards Elliot. Elliot groaned slightly as he unrolled the window. He extended his hand over to Olivia, and she clutched it tightly. From the way she was grabbing it, Elliot could tell she was in pain.

He stopped. He had his hand squeezed like that before. Three times before. "It's seven weeks early," he muttered. He had not intended to say that out loud, but he did. He quickly turned to Olivia to see her response. He could only hope that he did not seriously frighten her.

Olivia groaned as she kept holding her stomach. "It can't be," she argued. "We're not ready. I'm not ready. We don't have things yet. We don't have a changing table. We didn't assemble the crib yet. We didn't--"

"Shh," Elliot soothed her. He rubbed his thumb along her hand. "We're going to be fine." He turned around and focused on the driver. "Listen, I'm a police officer," he said. "We don't have to make this official. Just give me your insurance information and agree to pay for all the damages," he said.

The guy nodded as he started writing his information on the back of a grocery receipt. "I'm really sorry about this," he said as he handed the receipt to Elliot.

"Yeah," Elliot said as he took a look at the receipt. It had the man's name, his phone number, and the name of his insurance company. Elliot decided that was all the information he needed. He then frowned and dialed the number just to make sure he was not given a fake one. The man's cell phone rang. Elliot nodded and hung up.

"Elliot!" Olivia called in a pained voice. Her eyes were still filled with panic. She gestured at the road. "Pain not getting any less here," she pointed out.

Elliot nodded. "Right," he said. "Don't worry," he assured her. "We'll get you to a hospital."

The driver's eyes widened. "H-hospital?" he asked. "Is this because of me?"

"Just go," Elliot commanded him. "I have to get my pregnant wife to the hospital now. I'll call you later," he said as he started rolling up the window. He turned back to Olivia as he placed the receipt in his pocket. "It's going to be ok, Liv," he assured her. He took the car out of park and put it into drive. His right hand remained dropped down by the seat. Olivia was grabbing it and practically cutting off all circulation to it. He tried to ignore that pain as he steered the car with his left hand.

"We're all going to be ok?" Olivia asked fearfully. She wanted to trust Elliot. She should be able to trust Elliot. He had done the labor thing three times before. He had probably heard of every pain in the book. He knew what to expect. But this was scaring her. Seven weeks. Of Elliot's children, Kathleen was born earliest, but she was only one month early. This baby was closer to two.

Elliot nodded absent-mindedly. He honestly did not know what to tell her. "Hospital's ten minutes away," he stated. "How's the pain?"

Olivia winched. "Strong," she answered in a pained tone. "Hurry," she begged.

Elliot nodded again as he pressed his foot harder on the gas petal. "Just hang in there, Liv."

* * *

Eight minutes later, Elliot had parked the car. He quickly got out and rushed over to Olivia's side. He opened her door and picked her up in his arms. He kicked her door shut and locked the doors. "It's ok," he said. "We're here now. It's ok," he said soothingly as he carried her into the hospital. Once they were in the ER waiting room, he gently placed her down in one of the chairs. He pressed a kiss on her forehead and walked over to the triage desk. The nurse sitting there looked up at him.

"Hi," Elliot started. "My wife and I got rear-ended. I'm fine, but she's thirty-three weeks pregnant and complaining of pain," he explained. "Judging by how tightly she's grabbing my hand, it feels like more than Braxton Hicks."

The nurse nodded. It was not hard for him to pick out which one was Olivia. But he had to be sure. "She is the one in the wedding dress, right?" he asked.

"Yes. Her name's Olivia Benson," Elliot said. "This is a nice honeymoon place, isn't it?" he asked.

The nurse chuckled slightly. "Well, seeing as it's your wedding night, and there are no incoming or ongoing traumas, I'll get a doctor to see you two right away." With that, he disappeared.

Elliot smiled and thanked him. He then walked back over towards Olivia. "Hey, sweetie," he said as he sat down next to her. He took a napkin out of his pocket and wiped the little bits of sweat off of her forehead. "Don't worry," he said. "They're going to see us right away."

Olivia's eyes widened in horror. "Right away?" she repeated. "It's that bad!"

Elliot mentally scolded and slapped himself. "No," he said. "But there are no traumas, and it's our wedding night."

Two doctors emerged from the ER doors. An older man and a younger woman. The woman had a chart in her hands. "Olivia Benson?" she called.

Elliot stood up first and extended his hand down to Olivia. "Can you walk?" he asked her. "Or do you want me to carry you?"

Olivia was about to tell him that she could walk when pain overcame her again. Her knees buckled, but luckily Elliot caught her. She hated this. She hated feeling so helpless. Mostly, she hated not knowing what was happening to her baby.

"I've got you," Elliot said as he hoisted her up into his arms. He then followed the two doctors back to the examination room. Luckily for them, they were the only patients in it. Elliot kissed Olivia's forehead. "These doctors are good," he assured her. "We're going to be ok."

* * *

The examination did not take that long. The doctor was on her way back. Olivia was beyond scared. No one was telling her things. They were just asking her things and writing it down on a clipboard. Worse, she had not felt the baby move since the accident. "Elliot, are you sure we're going to be ok?" she asked. "I don't feel any movement."

"Liv, this baby's a pretty good baby. It's late. The baby normally isn't moving at this time," he said in his best attempt at a calm voice. Despite his feelings, he had to remain calm for Olivia's sake.

The doctor entered the room. Olivia quickly clutched Elliot's hand. "Well, what is it?" she asked fearfully.

"The baby's fine," the doctor said first. She knew how hard it had to be to wait for that news. "Heartbeat's strong."

"So, what was that?" Olivia asked. They had given her something to stop the pain, but they still had not explained it to her. Judging from how they were acting, she could tell that she was not about to give birth. She would not be giving birth that day.

"False labor," the doctor explained. "Like I said, the baby will be fine, but you have got t take it easy," she told Olivia.

Olivia nodded. "Ok," she said. "You mean like total desk duty?"

The doctor shook her head. "No," she said. "Total bedrest."

* * *

((Author's Note yet again: I'm done with Drama for a while (we were awesome). However, there are lots more academic-related things that (although they are more boring), they have a higher priority. SATs are this Saturday, and I have AP exams at the beginning of May. Like I said before, I do have everything exactly planned out; it's just a matter of time. Time that unfortunately will be lacking until May 5- the AP History exam. God, I hate that class with a vengeance. So I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can, but don't kill me if "as soon as I can" translates into a couple weeks. I love you all.))  



	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Elliot was the first one to wake up the next morning. Olivia had kicked all of the covers off the bed. He wanted to do something for her. He did not want to go into work that day. If Olivia wanted him to stay, he would. He looked down at her. She was still sleeping peacefully. She had not yet adjusted to daylight savings. She was beautiful though. He was glad to have her there with him.

Olivia rolled over once on the bed until she bumped against Elliot's body. She slowly started waking up. She blinked her eyes open and smiled as she saw a vague Elliot figure next to her. She rubbed her eyes twice. "Hey," she whispered. Her hands went down to her stomach. She gingerly began massaging it.

"You hungry, sweetie?" Elliot asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Always," Olivia answered as she turned so that her legs were off the side of the bed. She pushed her hands down on the bed in an attempt to get herself up, but Elliot stopped her.

"Total bedrest," he reminded her gently. He pressed a kiss on her forehead before he eased her back down onto the bed. "What do you want?"

"The ability to do things on my own," Olivia responded with a slightly bitter tone. She did not say anything further. She did want to be able to walk around. She honestly did not think she could take seven weeks of lying there in bed. However, if it would ensure the safe delivery of her baby, she was all for it.

Elliot shook his head at her. "Sorry, Liv. Better safe than sorry." He stood up and started heading for the door. "I'll bring you some fruit and poptarts for now," he said. He turned back around. "Now, Liv, do you want me to take off today?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, go in," she said. "At least for a couple of hours. Come May, we'll need all the time off we can get," she stated. She then thought of something. She did not know if Cragen knew about what had happened the previous night. "But can you explain this all to Cragen? I wasn't supposed to start my maternity leave for another month."

Elliot nodded. "Of course," he promised. "And I'll leave you some pre-made tuna sandwiches."

Olivia smiled up at him. "You're the best," she confirmed. "On your way home, can you get cheese and Russian dressing? I had the last of it on Friday."

Elliot sighed as he glanced at Olivia. He loved her, crazy cheeseburger with Russian dressing cravings and all. "Of course," he promised.

* * *

Roughly an hour and a half later, Elliot arrived at the SVU. He was immediately greeted with a hug from Casey. He reciprocated for a couple of seconds, but he noticed that Casey was not letting go. He pulled away slowly and picked her head up. "Case, what's up?" he asked her in a concerned tone.

"I heard about what happened last night," Casey said as she pulled herself away from Elliot. "Kibre saw you two," she added before Elliot could ask her how she knew. "Is Olivia ok?" She had to know. She knew that the answer was most likely yes. If Olivia was not fine, then Elliot would not be in the squad room that day. However, she had to hear it from Elliot's mouth.

Elliot nodded. "She'll be fine," he said in a loud enough voice that the entire squad room could hear him. Cragen let out a sigh of relief. Munch and Fin high-fived each other. Elliot turned his attention to Cragen. "But she's on strict bedrest and will therefore be taking her maternity leave five weeks early."

"Anything to keep that baby safe," Cragen told Elliot. "You make sure she knows that." He then walked into his office to answer his phone.

Casey nodded as she pulled Elliot towards the coffee. "Total bedrest?" she questioned. "Can we still throw her a baby shower?"

Elliot nodded. "As long as it's at our apartment and she doesn't have to walk around," he stated. He then smiled and looked at Casey. "You're organizing a shower?"

"Alex and I are," Casey answered. "Small," she promised.

"You guys are the best," Elliot said. "Should I keep this a secret from her, or what?" he asked.

Casey shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I'm more in favor of not having it be a surprise, but I'm not sure what Alex is thinking. For now, I guess don't tell her."

"Will do," Elliot promised.

* * *

Elliot could not stand the separation from Olivia. He had to be with her. After lunch, he was going home. He had stopped of at the video store, grocery store, and McDonalds before he arrived at their apartment. As soon as he was in there, he rushed towards the bedroom. "Hey," he greeted Olivia with a kiss. "Got you burgers," he told her as he handed her the McDonalds bag.

Olivia smiled as she took the bag. As soon as she had it, he handed her the grocery bag with Russian dressing in it. "Thank you," she said sincerely. She then noticed that he still had one bag with him. "What's in there?" she asked curiously.

"Fourth season of ER," he said as he placed the bag at the end of the bed. "Just something for you to watch while you're here." He then crawled up next to her.

Olivia rested her head against Elliot's chest. "Refresh my memory."

Elliot picked up the box and glanced at it for a second before he could respond. "Ok, it's Elizabeth's first season, Carter starts dating Anna, that story arc that actually resembles our life with that punk raping out ladies, and Mark's crazy girlfriend Cynthia." He glanced at Olivia. "The one who kind of looks like you now that I think about it."

"I am nothing like that weak prey," Olivia argued.

"Didn't say you were," Elliot said defensively. "I just said she looks like you." He then looked at the box again. "Actually, Liv, you might not want to watch this."

Olivia turned to him. "Why?"

"Benton's baby is still having a little difficulties, and I don't want to scare you," Elliot answered. He moved so that he was behind her, and he began rubbing her shoulders. "This baby's going to be fine," he assured her. He smiled. "You want to discuss baby names?"

* * *

((Author's Note: Sorry that it's a little short, but it's all I had time for. Better short than nothing...And you know you're obsessed with SVU when you look in four stores for the TV Guide with Mariska Hargitay on the cover. Yes, I read it, and I had to put some of those things in here. Hehe.))  



	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Olivia had only been on bedrest for a week, and she was already bored out of her mind. Luckily for Elliot, he was still at work for most of the day. However, this day he would not be going in. He couldn't. It was the day Casey normally had reserved for filing. She had no court appearances. Alex had purposefully arranged her schedule so that she would be free by eleven. It was the only date that they could work on for Olivia's baby shower.

Elliot could not go into work on that day. If he did, it would have to be after the shower started. Until that point, he had to keep Olivia distracted. The bad part about the shower was that it had to be in their apartment. Alex still wanted to keep it a surprise, so Elliot would have to work extra hard in order to prevent her from hearing anything.

With plenty of cheeseburgers in hand, Elliot entered their bedroom. He found Olivia shifting uncomfortably around the bed. "You're a brave woman," he told her as he sat down next to her. He then glanced at his watch. It was almost noon. Casey would be there soon. She was doing most of the setting up. Alex would be there shortly after Casey. The guests would be there by one.

"I'm sorry, Liv," he quickly said. "I forgot your dressing. I don't know how it happened, but it did. I'll be right back," he promised her. He quickly left the room.

Olivia eyed him curiously, but she did not think about it for much longer. Her back hurt. As hard as she tried, she could never get comfortable.

Elliot walked over towards the apartment door. He unlocked it quickly. He saw Casey making her way towards him. He saw something large in her hands, so he opened the door for her. "Hey," he whispered as the two of them entered the apartment.

"Liv awake?" Casey asked. After Elliot nodded, she said nothing further. She just started setting up for the shower.

Elliot walked back into the bedroom after grabbing some dressing for Olivia. "Hey again," he said. "Sorry it took so long. The dressing was hiding in the fridge."

Olivia nodded weakly as she grabbed the dressing from his hands. She started pouring it onto her plate of cheeseburgers. "It's ok, Elliot. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

* * *

About fifty minutes later, everything was ready. Elliot managed to find _Sleepless in Seattle_ on some channel. It provided a long enough distraction for Olivia. She did not hear anything outside the bedroom. During the movie, Elliot kept glancing at his watch. Finally, once it was five minutes until one, Elliot peeked his head out of the apartment. He claimed he was hungry for some non-cheeseburger food. He smiled as he saw Casey give him the thumbs-up sign. It did not matter if Olivia bought his excuse.

He walked back over to her. "Hey, Liv?" he said. "Can I show you something?" he asked her.

Olivia frowned slightly. "I'm on bedrest, El. You'll have to bring it in here."

"Kinda can't do that," he said as he walked over to her. "It's a bit…large." He shrugged as he knelt down by the bed. "I know you'll like it," he offered. "And I can carry you."

Olivia nodded. "The change of scenery certainly will be nice," she noted as she crawled into Elliot's open arms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and she felt him hoisting her off the bed. She wondered what Elliot could possibly want to show her. Most of the baby things they still needed to buy were small enough to fit into their bedroom.

"Surprise!" Casey and Alex called as Elliot carried Olivia into the main room in Olivia's apartment. Streamers were along either sides of it. There were some that were pink proclaiming "It's a girl" while others were blue saying that the baby was a boy. In both cases, the gender of the baby was crossed off so that the streamers simply read "It's a baby."

Olivia was taken aback. "Wow," she said in amazement. "You…you two did all of this?" she asked as she looked at Alex and Casey.

"Well, we'd want the best for our detectives," Alex stated. She smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Olivia nodded as she looked around at the other guests. Melinda Warner, Alex Eames and Carolyn Barek from the Major Case Squad, some of Olivia's "more than acquaintances" from the D.A.'s office. The last guest in the corner was the most shocking. Monique Jefferies. Olivia's mouth fell open at the sight of the former SVU detective. "Hey," she said as Elliot placed her down on the couch.

Monique smiled back as she sat down next to Olivia. "Well, it certainly is about time you and Elliot got together," she stated. "How are you doing?" she asked sincerely.

"Good," Olivia said. "Annoyed with the bedrest thing, but other than that I'm fine." She still could not believe it. First Alex, than Jefferies. Something was weird. With her luck, Brian Cassidy would be delivering her child. She shuddered at that thought. "What about you? What have you been up to?"

Monique shrugged. "Not much. Still working undercover in Vice," she said. "Can't stick around for long, but I did want to see this and congratulate you two in person."

* * *

The shower lasted for almost two hours. By that point, everyone had to get back to work. Casey and Alex had remained to help Elliot clean up. While they were cleaning, Olivia was sleeping on the couch. After the cleaning was done, Casey went back to the D.A.'s office to actually get some of her filing done. Fin and Munch were supposed to come by the apartment to help Elliot convert the spare room to the baby's room. While that was getting worked on, Alex was going to entertain Olivia.

Fin was the last one to arrive. By the time he was there, Olivia was awake, and she was playing backgammon with Alex. Elliot and Munch were working on assembling the crib. Fin joined them.

"Alex, really, thank you," Olivia said. "For the shower, everything. I honestly don't know what I'd do without people like you, Elliot, and Casey. You three are the best." She smiled as she rolled the dice. "I know what I'm naming the baby."

* * *

((And I'm mean 'cause you're not going to know until it's actually born. Mwahaha. But the good news is that it's our vacation. Hopefully that will mean free time for the next week or so. After that, busy as hell until May 5. Then free like a little birdie. Yay. Anyway, review please. I do love it so. The next chapter will be up either tomorrow or Sunday.))  



	23. Chapter 23

Author's Note: Now am I fast or what?

Chapter Twenty-Three

* * *

Almost two months had passed since Olivia's baby shower. It was a little over two weeks past Olivia's due date. Since Elliot was once again walking into the squad room, everyone else knew that Olivia had not given birth the day before.

"You're wrong again, Munch," Casey said from her position on top of Munch's desk. Since a couple days before Olivia's original due date of May 23rd, there have been several bets as to when Olivia would give birth. This was Munch's third time losing.

Munch rolled his eyes as he pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Casey. "At this rate, you'll get that three hundred dollars back easily," he grumbled. He frowned. "All right, double or nothing that she has the baby tomorrow," he told her.

Fin shook his head. "Nope, I have my money on tomorrow."

Elliot shook his head in slight disapproval at them. "Wait, are you making money off my wife's discomfort?" he asked.

"Not if she goes into labor today," Munch offered. "Then Casey's making money."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "If you're making money off this, at least spend some time with her," he said. "And preferably without me. She's driving me crazy," he said as he sat down at his desk. Normally, he would not be going into work. He had not all week for fear that he would get entangled in a case and then Olivia would go into labor. But now, Olivia was beyond grumpy about the whole bedrest thing.

"Welcome to wives," Munch spoke up. "They live to make us crazy."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I resent that. She has a good reason to be upset."

Elliot nodded. "I sympathize with her, but she's been watching too much TV while on bedrest. In specific, that season of _Friends _where Jennifer Aniston's character was pregnant."

"And?" Fin asked.

"Since then, she's been begging me to sleep with her," Elliot finished.

Fin smiled. "Well, if you won't, can I?" he offered excitedly. "For the baby's sake, of course," he quickly added.

* * *

By noon, Elliot was ready to go back home. He could not stay away from Olivia for too long. He missed her, and he had to be sure that she was really ok. He was about to push the doors to exit the squad room open when someone did the same thing from the other side. Olivia.

Elliot gasped as he quickly guided her to a chair and motioned for her to sit.

Olivia shook her head. "This thing is seventeen days late, Elliot," she hissed. "I don't care if walking will induce labor," she argued. "I want this child out of me."

Elliot nodded as he cautiously placed a hand on Olivia's shoulders. "I know, Liv," he whispered. "This really sucks, but if you're not in labor by Sunday, they will induce. I promise."

Olivia grumbled slightly as she sat down at her desk. She reached across to Elliot's desk for some case files. She quickly opened one and started looking at the pictures.

"Liv, what are you doing?" Elliot asked her gently as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.

Olivia shrugged as she opened the next file and looked at its pictures. "Hoping that one of these pictures will cause emotional trauma so that I will go into labor," she stated plainly.

Elliot closed the file and kissed her gently on the lips. "Liv, honey, the baby will come out when it's ready. Until then, you just take it easy, ok?" he said. "Come on. I'll take you home."

Olivia grumbled again as she stood up. "I'm going to go to the bathroom first," she said. "This child still knows where my bladder is," she complained. "If only we could give it a map to my vagina." With that, she walked back towards the bathrooms. As soon as she entered the stall, she felt something.

Pain. She knew that. She had felt it once before. Her abdomen was tightening. It was not that painful, but it was nor comfortable. She tried to ignore it as she went to the bathroom, but it happened again as she was washing her hands. It was stronger than. She slumped down until she was sitting on the bathroom floor. She did not know if she could make it out to Elliot. She had felt this before. However, she knew it was no longer false labor. This was the real thing.

* * *

((Author's Note: Sorry it's short, but it had to end there. Hehe. Review, and the next chapter should hopefully be quick.))  



	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Elliot smiled with relief as he saw Casey coming through the doors to the squad room. "Casey, perfect," he said as he grabbed her by the right wrist and dragged her towards the bathroom.

"Elliot?" Casey questioned him as she followed. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Elliot answered. "All that I know is that Olivia came here today. She's been in the bathroom for a while now, but I don't know who else is in there. There could be rape victims, and I don't want to scare them by being in there."

Casey nodded slowly. "Ok," she said as she entered the bathroom. She gasped and rushed over to Olivia. The floor around the detective was wet. Casey tried hard to squat down close enough to comfort Olivia without actually touching the floor. "Hey, Liv," she said soothingly. "What's up? Elliot's getting worried."

"Get him," Olivia begged. Her contractions were stronger. She knew that she could not move.

Casey nodded as she quickly stood up. She rushed to the door and opened it. "El," she called.

Elliot ran into the bathroom and sat down next to Olivia. He pulled her closer to him. Her head rest against his shoulders. She took a firm grip on his left hand. Elliot winced, but he did not say anything. He did not need to. "Hang in there, honey," he told her. He saw Casey pulling out her cell phone. "Casey's getting you an ambulance. It's going to be ok."

Olivia's eyes widened. It hit her. She knew that she was in labor. She knew that she would be giving birth. It finally hit her that she was going to be someone's parent. In a few hours, all of this pregnancy would be over. She would have her own child. It was a little daunting.

"Just breathe," Elliot said soothingly. "We're getting you help. Just hang in there, Liv," he whispered to her.

Olivia nodded as she focused on his eyes. She had to look at him. Maybe that way there would be no pain. She drew in one breath. She knew what she was supposed to do. She was a police officer. She did know how to deliver a child. She just never experienced it firsthand. It hurt too much. She never expected this much pain. "I can't," she said as she fell into Elliot's arms. "It hurts too much. I can't do it."

"Yes, you can, Olivia," Elliot said soothingly. "It's one of the things I love about you. Just think, this will all be over soon."

The paramedics pulled up in front of the station. The noise from the ambulance drew Cragen out of his office. He looked around the squad room and noticed Casey frantically leaving it for the outside. Elliot and Olivia were no where in sight. He walked over to Munch. "John, what's happening?"

"Olivia's in labor," Fin answered. "She's in the bathroom."

Cragen nodded as he saw Casey re-entering the squad room with several paramedics in tow. He pointed in the general direction of the women's bathroom. "Down that way," he guided them.

The first paramedic quickly got Olivia onto a stretcher. The paramedic and Elliot started wheeling Olivia out towards the ambulance. As they passed through the squad room, Olivia heard the other detectives calling out words of encouragement to her. That was nice. She remembered hearing Elliot's voice as they made their way through the rest of the station. He was just telling her that things were going to be fine. She knew he was mostly saying that to make her feel better. He could not know for sure.

From there, she was transferred into the ambulance. The first paramedic started examining her before the ambulance took off. If she was too far dilated, they would be forced to deliver there. If at all possible, they wanted to avoid delivering the baby while the ambulance was in motion.

"Well?" Elliot asked as he gripped Olivia's hand.

"Five centimeters," the paramedic answered as he crawled into the ambulance with Elliot and Olivia. "You're half way to being parents."

* * *

Afternoon had gone on to evening, which had turned to night. The entire SVU was still in the squad room waiting to hear any news. Alex had joined them after leaving the D.A.'s office for the day. Fin had wanted to make some money on the baby, so he added in a bet about the baby's weight. The range was within two ounces. There was also a bet on what time the baby would be born. So far, Cragen had been losing that one. To pass time, they were tossing around a softball.

Casey sighed as she passed it over to Fin. "You know, if this waiting thing keeps up any longer, you might actually win the birthday bet," she noted.

Fin smiled. "That thought had crossed my mind," he responded as he tossed the ball over to Munch. "God, what's taking so long though?"

* * *

"Elliot, how much longer?" Olivia complained as she once again fell backwards against the bed. The action caused momentary pain. She knew she should not be doing things like that, especially with the epidural in her back, but she could not help it. This baby was driving her crazy. The doctors were not giving her more drugs. There was nothing she could do about it.

"Not that much," Elliot promised as he stroked her arms gently with his fingers. He crawled into the bed next to her, allowing her to rest her head against his chest again. She liked that.

"You said that this morning," Olivia grumbled. "I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to believe you." She sighed. Elliot did not respond. They were left in an uncomfortable silence. Before Olivia could break it, she started having another contraction. They were getting more intense and lasting longer. She hated it. Elliot was right there next to her, but he could not alleviate any of the pain. About a minute later, it had passed. She collapsed back onto the bed again.

"What if I can't do it?" Olivia asked seriously. "Not just labor, but the whole thing. The whole mother thing. What if I'm not good at it?"

Elliot shook his head as he saw Olivia's OB/GYN enter the room again. "Sweetie, you'll be fine," he assured her. "I've been your partner for the past seven years. I've seen you in all of the cases involving children. You were meant to be a mother."

Olivia's doctor nodded as she finished examining Olivia. "And you're going to be one very soon," she said. "Ten centimeters, Olivia. You two are about to be parents."

Olivia gasped as she looked up at Elliot. A warm smile fell onto her face. Although she had already started to sweat some, Elliot had never seen her look more beautiful. He got off the bed and started moving her towards one of the delivery rooms. As soon as they were there, he grabbed her hand tightly. He was prepared not to have any circulation to it until the baby was delivered. He did not mind.

Olivia's legs were spread wide apart. Olivia's doctor looked up at her. " Olivia, on the next contraction I want you to push, ok?" she asked.

Olivia nodded. She grabbed tightly to Elliot's hand and did as she was told. One of the nurses was timing her.

"Just hold on," Elliot encouraged. "You're almost there."

"Almost there my ass!" Olivia yelled back at him. "Elliot, you have no idea how much this hurts."

Elliot nodded as she stopped pushing. He had been with Kathy three times before doing this. He knew it was always better to just agree with whatever the woman said. Otherwise, he would be in trouble. The nurse told Olivia to start pushing again, but she was not. Elliot leaned over and wiped her forehead clear of sweat. "Liv, you have to do this," he said.

Olivia shook her head. "No, Elliot, I don't think I can," she argued back. "I'm sorry. I'm not meant for this. Get someone else to do it."

Elliot kissed her forehead gently. "Olivia, there is no one else. I know you can do it."

"Push," the nurse commanded like an Army officer. Elliot eyed her curiously. "Been doing this for over thirty years. They need commanding tones." She turned back to Olivia. "So, push."

Olivia groaned and screamed, but she did resume pushing the baby out. Elliot was encouraging her, but she could not even hear him anymore.

"Baby's crowning," Dr. Carhart announced. She then looked at the baby closer.

"What's that?" one of the OB residents asked.

Elliot gasped as he let go of Olivia's hand. He moved over so that he could see what everyone else was looking at. "What's wrong?" he asked.

* * *

((Author's Note: Yes, now I'm cruel and mean and all other adjectives of the same nature. Hehe. I enjoy it. Anyway, read and review. I want to get at least 300 for the story before I post the next chapter. You're all the best. Reward me and I will reward you.))  



	25. Chapter 25

((You guys are wonderful. I meant to have this for you last night, but I had to practice parallel parking...Not that it did any good. The parking spaces at the DMV are my enemy...Anyway, enjoy reading, review. Love ya lots.))

* * *

Chapter Twenty Five 

"What's wrong?" Elliot repeated as he looked at Dr. Carhart. His voice was filled with panic. How could something go wrong? He needed to know that everything was going to be fine. For the baby's sake, everything had to be fine. It was not created under pleasant circumstances. That factor should not doom it for the rest of its life.

Olivia's eyes grew wide with fear. "What?" she asked as she sat up slightly. "Something's wrong with my baby? There can't be." She turned to Elliot and motioned emphatically for him to stand next to her again. She grabbed his hand and clutched it tightly. She could feel the tears warming in her eyes. She did not care that she was in pain any more. All she cared about was making sure that her baby was healthy.

"Relax," Dr. Carhart assured the couple. "There's nothing wrong with your baby. It's rare, but we do see it. The baby's not exactly breech."

"Well, then what is it exactly?" Elliot asked in a confused tone.

Dr. Carhart sighed. "The body's meant for the baby to be delivered head first, upside-down. Your baby is head first, but she is already facing upwards. It's not life-threatening," she repeated. "It's just going to be that much harder on both you and the baby. It's all on you now, Olivia."

"Push!" the nurse yelled.

"Oh, shut up, you Nazi push nurse!" Olivia commanded harshly. She turned back to Elliot. "I can't do it," she whispered. Tears were coming from her eyes. "I've been trying, but I just can't."

Elliot shook his head as he took her hand. "Yes, you can, Olivia. This is no different than catching a rapist. It'll take some extra work, but it will all be worth it in the end."

Olivia slapped his chest. "You couldn't have thought of a better metaphor!" she asked him. "Like softball?" She groaned and once again resumed pushing. It was harder than she had thought. She hated it. She just wanted to get to the part where the baby was delivered. She did not like the delivery itself.

Dr. Carhart shook her head. "Push harder, Olivia," she said. "The baby's in a difficult position right now."

"I know you can, Liv," Elliot told her. He felt Olivia's grip on his hand tighten. Her face tightened in pain. This was it. They were about to become parents.

It took Olivia about a half an hour to get the baby out. Throughout that time, she kept insisting every six or seven minutes that she could not deliver the baby. Elliot kept assuring her that she could.

Dr. Carhart smiled. "Head's out," she said as she and the resident guided the rest of the baby's body out. "Ease up, Olivia," she said soothingly. "You did great."

The baby almost instantly began crying. That sound was all Olivia needed to hear. Relief filled her body. Her baby was safe. She looked up at Elliot.

"I'm so proud of you," Elliot said. He kissed her lips before they turned to the other non-yelling nurse.

The younger nurse had just finished cleaning off the baby. The child was still crying, but Elliot and Olivia did not care. "Congratulations," the nurse said. "You two are the parents of a beautiful, healthy baby girl." She walked over and placed the baby in Olivia's waiting arms.

Olivia looked down in shock and awe. "She's gorgeous," she whispered up to Elliot.

Elliot nodded. "She's perfect," he told her.

"You two settled on a name yet?" the nurse asked.

Olivia smiled at the nurse and nodded.

* * *

"Thank you," Casey said into the phone. "And congratulations again," she added. "Give Olivia our love." With that, she hung up. 

"Elliot?" Munch questioned as he fought back a yawn.

Casey nodded. "With the birth and afterbirth, Olivia was exhausted. She's already asleep." She smiled. "That's right. Pay up, boys. Alexandra Serena Benson-Stabler. Eight pounds, eleven ounces. June 9, 2006. 11:39 P.M."

* * *

((Author's Note: I'm sorry to those of you who wanted Olivia to have a boy, but it had to be a girl. It's part of the title. (Though I'm not planning on raping Lexy.) And I've had that name picked out from day one (as in before I knew that Alex was coming back). Thank you all. You've been great. There's still about two more chapters left, but I don't know if I'll be able to get them up as quickly as I've gotten these past four.)) 


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

It took until the next evening before the SVU could come by and visit Olivia and Elliot. The nurse told them that Olivia and Elliot were up for company, but according to hospital rules, they had to go in two at a time or less. That seemed fair.

Casey and Alex were the first ones to go inside. When they entered, Olivia was holding Lexy in her arms. Elliot was watching the two of them, but he looked up once he realized they had company. "Hey," he said in greeting towards the two of them.

Alex smiled as she eyed the baby. She was blessed with several wisps of light brown hair covering her head except for one monk-like bald spot in the back. She wrapped in a small pink blanket. The sight of Olivia holding her was the most natural thing Alex had seen in a long time. "Liv, she's beautiful," Alex cooed as she moved closer towards the bed.

Olivia smiled back at Alex. "Thank you," she said. She gently ran her fingers along Lexy's face before she looked up at Alex and Casey. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked.

"Can I?" Alex asked back as she extended her arms towards the child. She bent down closer to the bed as Olivia carefully transferred Lexy into her arms. Alex then stood up and rocked Lexy slightly. "Hey there," she said softly. "You are so beautiful."

Casey peered over Alex's shoulder at Lexy. "Liv, she looks just like you," she stated.

"She does," Elliot added as he sat down on the bed next to Olivia. "I can't see any signs of that freak in her."

Casey smiled as she handed a small gift bag to Elliot. "Here," she said. "I know it's practically summer now, but I got you guys a baby quilt for her. There's also a stuffed duck in there."

"Oh, Casey, you didn't have to do that," Olivia told her.

Casey shrugged. "Well, I felt bad for making so much money off your pregnancy. Since it was about Lexy, she should really be the one enjoying the benefits." She then turned towards Alex. "And I know she is named after you, but that doesn't mean you have to hog her to yourself," she teased. Alex carefully transferred Lexy into Casey's arms.

The two of them stayed for about fifteen more minutes. Munch and Fin stayed for about the same amount of time. They all kept saying how beautiful Lexy was and how lucky the three of them were to have such a great family. By the time Cragen came in, Lexy needed to be fed.

Elliot stepped into the hallway and beckoned for Cragen to enter the room. "You don't have a problem with Olivia breastfeeding in front of you, do you?" he asked as they walked back towards Olivia.

Cragen shook his head. "I'm fine with it if she's fine with it," he said. He looked over at Olivia. "Congratulations, again," he told her. "You really struck gold with this one. She's perfect."

Olivia thanked him. She moved her feet slightly so that Elliot could sit on the bed and Cragen could have the chair. "I'll be back in October," she promised Cragen.

Cragen smiled at her. "Take all the time you need," he said. "We'll work something out when you want to come back. And you both know that I'm willing to help in any way possible."

"Thank you," Olivia said. "We're good for now, but there is one thing you can do for me."

"Anything," Cragen promised.


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Teachers like to pile things up. But I'm back. And no more history! Yay! And also yay because Olivia and Elliot are reunited on the show. Yay!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Olivia and Lexy were discharged three days later. Olivia was relieved. Although she was extremely tired, she did not think she could spend another day in the hospital. She needed to be in her own house. It was ready for them.

However, there was one stop she had to make first. Elliot knew about it, and he drove her straight there from the hospital. Once he was in the parking spot, he put the car into park. He removed the key from the ignition and turned to Olivia. "Are you sure about this?" he asked gently. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do," Olivia corrected him. She slowly unbuckled her seatbelt. Her heart was pounding. This one moment was the thing she had been debating ever since Lexy was born. In her mind, Lexy was Elliot's daughter. Everything involving parents would be on her and Elliot. Elliot would always be her father. However, she could not forget the fact that Lexy was not biologically Elliot's. The real father was sitting in Rikers. According to Cragen, he had not been transferred. Olivia drew in a deep breath. He had the right to know.

Elliot kissed her hand before Olivia opened the car door. "I'll be right here," he promised her.

Olivia nodded as she moved towards the back of the car. She opened the door and carefully pulled Lexy out of her car seat. "Hey there," she said soothingly. Luckily, Lexy did not cry. Olivia placed a gentle kiss to her daughter's forehead. Olivia stood there for a moment as she turned to face Rikers. Jail was no place for a baby. Along with telling the father about Lexy, she had been having doubts about bringing her in there. She did not want anything bad happening to her. On the other hand, she did not know how easily he would believe her without actually seeing Lexy. He still did not think he raped her.

Olivia finally pulled Lexy in close as she walked towards the doors. She showed the guards her badge and told them who she was there to see, Rodney White. Rodney White as in the brother of Richard White, the man who had stalked her and almost tried to kill her when she first started working at SVU. It was chilling, but she knew her rape was not a coincidence. Rodney had to know who she was. She had to accept it. Finally talking to him would finally put her at ease. Her stomach jumped as she neared his cell, but she forced herself to remain calm.

Rodney looked up at her curiously. "Can I help you?" he asked. "Are you with the D.A.'s office?" He shook his head. "You're too hot for that."

Olivia shook her head back at him and rolled her eyes. "You listen," she commanded him. "I'm the woman you raped last August."

Again, Rodney shook his head. "Olivia, darling, you're mistaken. We made love."

"Where you duct taped my mouth, forced me into your car, and then forced yourself on me?" Olivia questioned. "That's not love." She shifted Lexy slightly in her arms. "And not only did your actions traumatize me, but they also produced a child." She looked down at Lexy. "Biologically, she is yours, and you have the right to know that." Her tone turned to a threatening one. "If you ever are lucky enough to get out, you are forbidden to see her. There will be a restraining order against you the moment you step foot outside of here. If you make any attempt at connecting her, we will sue. I am telling you this because you have the right to know. Now that I've told you, you forget about her. She will not be part of your life."

Olivia turned around on her heel and started walking back towards the main doors. Rodney coughed slightly, which caused her to turn back and face him.

"Are you going to tell her about me?" he asked.

"Not until she's older," Olivia said. "Now I have a husband to get to." With that, Olivia left.

* * *

Elliot smiled as Olivia entered the car. Lexy was buckled in her seat as was Olivia. The three of them were on their way home. "I called the church," Elliot said as they neared the apartment. "The last weekend in July is fine for the baptism."Olivia smiled. "Perfect." She could not be happier. Everything was perfect now.

* * *

((Author's Note: Yes, this is the final chapter. So sad. Let me know how you enjoyed the whole thing. And while this may be the last chapter, it's not the last of the things I have planned for Elliot, Olivia, and Lexy. Don't worry. They'll be back. I love that baby too much to let this be the last of her.))  



End file.
